


Partly Steel

by Spinofflady



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), race to the edge - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-29 18:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6388234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinofflady/pseuds/Spinofflady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You can’t trust people, but you can trust steel.”</p><p>“You can trust me, can’t you?”</p><p>“You’re part steel.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maternal Instinct

Astrid had never thought of herself as a mother. She had never birthed or raised a child, and she didn’t have any siblings. She had watched another woman’s child a few times, but nothing to where she could call herself the child’s _mother._ And when it came to babies, well, that was another matter entirely. She had never watched a baby for very long, and the time she had she had not cared for it very well.

But Astrid never bothered to think of herself as a mother, because she wasn’t married, therefore having children was most definitely not something she often thought about. Of course, she planned on having children in the distant future, but she had never thought of names or how many children she even wanted. She had never adored children they way other girls her age did; in fact, she was rather annoyed by them. Astrid simply wasn’t a “kid person.”

Little did she know, she was about to become a mother. No, she was not pregnant; it was not her own child she would mother.

It all started one sunny afternoon, the type of day that you would never assume something would go wrong. In fact, it seemed that sort of day when nothing _could_ go wrong. The dragon riders were eager to get out of their huts on the Dragon’s Edge, this being the first sunny day after weeks of rain.

They raced around the island and swam in the springs, but as the morning passed, they all began to feel restless. Everyone, except Fishlegs, wanted to go exploring. (Fishlegs wanted to stay and relax in his Meditation Garden.) Hiccup finally suggested they explore west, the only direction they hadn’t gone yet. They quickly packed up some supplies, and set off westward. Fishlegs decided to go as well, not wanting to be left all by himself.

It didn’t take the team of riders long to remember why they had never explored west. It was just water, water and more water! When they finally caught sight of an island in the distance, they were so overjoyed it appeared as though they had not seen land in a year. They landed on the shore, and finally set off into the wooded inland.

“Do you think we’ll find any new dragons?” Fishlegs piped up excitedly.

“Who knows,” Hiccup replied, smiling. “This island could have anything on it.”

“Oh, there are dragons here alright,” Tuffnut said as though he were some old wizard. “Were-dragons.”

“Were-dragons?” Snotlout scoffed.

“Yes,” Tuffnut went on, moving his arms dramatically. “Were-dragons. Half men, half dragons.”

“Aren’t those called Lichenwings?” Hiccup asked, his tone indicating that Tuff’s theory was amusing.

“No,” Tuff answered, crackling. “Were-dragons are far more deadly. They can-”

“Shh!” Astrid shushed him urgently and held up a hand, warning the rest of them to stay quiet. “Do you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ruffnut asked, folding her arms.

“Crying,” Astrid murmured.

“Crying?” Hiccup repeated. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I swear, Hiccup. I can hear someone crying. From this direction.” Astrid pointed into the trees, and then began to walk in the same direction.

Everyone followed her curiously, though they were all sure that she was imagining things. Astrid wandered through the woods, stopping to listen every few moments. She walked in circles for a while, and suddenly bolted into the woods. The rest of the riders chased after her, wondering what it was that she heard. They ran for quite a ways, and the group found their way to the edge of the trees.

Before them stood a village, or what had once been a village. The houses were in shambles; door falling off their hinges and several roofs with giant holes in them. It began to seem possible for Astrid to have heard crying, for this island had most certainly hosted human life.

The six carefully made their way around the buildings, wary of what might be hidden among the houses.

“Guys,” Hiccup called to the others softly. “Look at this.” They crowded around him, wondering what he had found. It was a pot hanging over a dead fire, still full of soup. “This village hasn’t been abandoned for more than a few days,” Hiccup concluded. “There’s hardly any mold on this stew. But the falling apart houses doesn’t make any sense. How could houses deteriorate faster than soup?”

“Here’s how,” Tuffnut began, his voice deep and serious. “It’s called the Were-dragons. They found the village, and so they decided to make some soup, probably from the people who lived here. So they cooked up all the people, and now all that remains of those poor, terrified villagers, is the crying ghost which Astrid has heard… and this soup.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Does anyone have a theory that doesn’t involve Were-dragons?”

“I do,” Astrid said, walking out of the nearest house. “This didn’t just happen. The roofs didn’t just cave in. There’s a rock from a catapult inside this house, and if you look in all the other houses, you’ll probably find rocks in them, too.”

“You mean the island was attacked?” Hiccup asked. “This doesn’t look like an attack to me. None of the buildings are burned, and I don’t see any weapons.”

“The island was attacked, but I don’t think anyone fought back.”

Snotlout groaned. “Who doesn’t fight back?” he chortled. “If somebody attacks you, you fight back. That’s basic etiquette.”

“Not everyone likes to fight as much as you, Snotlout,” Hiccup reminded.

“Ha ha! Says the Viking who blows people up with his Night Fury!”

“I don’t blow people up!”

“You would!”

“No I wouldn’t!”

“BOTH OF YOU! SHUT UP!” Astrid threw axe at the tree behind the two, as if her loud outburst wasn’t enough to quiet them down. “Okay. I heard someone or something crying, and I want to know what it was. But if you two keep making so much noise, we’ll never find it.” She gave them both a death glare before retrieving her axe from the tree and starting her search.

They searched for quite some time with no success, until Astrid heard it again. It was fainter this time, but everyone heard it. Throwing a sideways glance at her friends, she approached the large house it seemed to come from.

Hiccup came up beside her. “This looks like the chief’s house,” he commented.

“There’s definitely someone crying in there,” Astrid replied her eyes fixing on the jarred door. “Someone young, too.”

The two approached the door and stepped inside the house. They followed the sound into the back of the house, and found that it was coming from the other side of a locked door. They first tried picking the lock, but to no avail. Astrid finally chopped the door down with her axe.

She stepped into the room, a storage room, filled with piles and piles of junk. Astrid noticed a crate halfway hidden by a barrel full of weapons. The soft whimpering came from it, and so she quietly made her way over to it. The bin was full of furs, but something was moving underneath them. She held her breath and lifted the first fur.

Big blue eyes stared back at her, full of tears. The whimpers suddenly escalated to screaming, and Astrid finally let out the gasp she had been holding in. It was baby! She wasted no time in gathering baby and fur into her arms, beginning to bounce up and down to help soothe the child.

“Oh my Thor,” she murmured, “How are still alive? You could have been here for days!”

Hiccup had been standing outside the room, since the hole in the door that Astrid had made was not exactly easy for him to squeeze through. (Plus the Peg-Leg wasn’t all that good for balancing on one foot.) When he heard the screaming and Astrid saying something, he stuck his head through the hole to see what she had found.

“It’s okay, baby,” Astrid comforted. “You’re safe now. Shh.”

“A baby?” Hiccup sputtered. “What is a baby doing in here?”

“I don’t know. Just help me get it out.”

Hiccup grabbed her axe and widened the hole enough for Astrid to come through with a baby in her arms. The two hurried out of the house to find the others.

“Guys! Come here!” Hiccup yelled. “Hurry!”

The rest of the Riders and dragons hurried to them, everyone wanting to know what they had found. Astrid sat down on the steps of the house and examined the baby in the sunlight.

“Oh, you’re so dried out,” she moaned. “You need some water so bad.” She called Stormfly over and reached into her saddle back, fishing out a clay jar of water. She dipped her finger in the water and dabbed the cool liquid on the baby’s lips. She let a few drops fall off her finger and into the infant’s mouth. The crying ebbed a little.

“So, it was a baby,” Fishlegs said softly. “What are we supposed to do with a baby?”

“I’m not sure,” Hiccup replied, watching the little one in Astrid’s lap. “None of us know anything about babies, myself included.”

“I’d like to correct that statement,” Ruffnut said loudly. “Some of us do know something about babies.”

“We do?”

“Yes, we do. Astrid and I know everything we need to know about babies. It’s called Maternal Instinct.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how Maternal Instinct works.”

“Of course it is! We women are attuned to young children, which explains why Astrid heard the baby crying and you losers didn’t. I did not hear the crying, but I have bad hearing, so I’m not a loser.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Hiccup groaned. “That’s ridiculous. Being a woman does not mean that you can hear crying babies better.”

“Actually,” Fishlegs put in, “women do tend to sleep less soundly at night after they’ve had children, so they can hear if the baby is crying. It’s scientifically proven.”

“Thank you, Fishlegs,” Hiccup scowled, warning Fishlegs not to prove Ruffnut right again. “But right now we’re trying to figure out what to do with it.”

“Him,” Astrid corrected without looking up. “He’s a him, not an it.”

“Okay,” Hiccup huffed, “What should we do with _him_?”

“We should take him back to the edge, and take care of him.”

“Astrid, we can’t just take someone’s baby! His parent’s are probably around here somewhere. Besides, who in their right mind would just leave their baby behind?”

“Hey, Losers!” Snotlout shouted strutting into the circle of riders. “I found something I think you’ll want to see.”

“What?” Hiccup asked curiously.

“I’m not gonna show you.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, why do we do this Snotlout? Eventually you tell us, and all you did was waste our time.”

“Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. It’s just the top of a crate with the Dragon Hunter crest on it.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, the top of a crate. See?” Snotlout held up a small piece of wood, revealing the bright red painted crest on it.

“I think we just figured out who attacked,” Fishlegs mumbled nervously.

“Yes, but the real question is _who_ did hunters attack.” Hiccup pointed out, leaning up against the wooden column in front of the house. “And what were they attacking for? Ryker Grimborn would simply attack for no good reason. The people here must have had something he wanted.”

“I can answer one of those questions right now,” Tuffnut burst in, quite seriously. “Every good Dragon Hunter knows there is one ultimate prize to win. I know because in a previous life, I was a Dragon Hunter, which explains why I know dragons so well. And that ultimate prize is: the Were-dragon.”

“Oh, enough with the Were-dragon already Tuff,” Hiccup moaned, rubbing his forehead. “Listen, let’s just get back to the Edge. Astrid, go ahead and bring the baby; he’s not safe out here by himself. And Tuff, if I hear one more word about were-dragons and previous lives, I swear, I will feed you to Barf and Belch.”

Hiccup climbed onto Toothless’ back, wincing from his pounding head ache. He couldn’t wait to get back to his hut and put some ice on it.

“Hiccup look!” Fishlegs shouted, inspecting something on the ground. He held up a shield, brightly colored with a very obvious tribe crest carved into it. “I think I found who this island belongs to.”

“Good, bring it back with us,” Hiccup instructed, taking off. “We’ll track down this kid’s parents, and hopefully return him to them.”

Fishlegs nodded and hopped on Meatlug, strapping the shield to his saddle.

“And then we can get rid of that sobbing demon,” Hiccup added under his breath, glancing back at Astrid and the crying baby that was making his head pound worse. “I hate little kids.”


	2. Kory

“Hmm, this is interesting,” Fishlegs muttered as his skimmed the pages of his book. “This crest is similar, but still very different.” He set the book down and pick up another one from the pile on the table. He was searching every book he had, trying to find information about the crest on the shield. He had to have read through at least 37 books by now.

Hiccup closed his book and picked another one, adjusting the block of ice he held to his head as he did so. His head ache was finally beginning to ease; at least now he no longer felt his heartbeat in the bridge of his nose.

The door to Fishlegs’ hut creaked opened, and Astrid stepped inside, the baby in her arms. He had finally stopped crying, and was happily sucking on a piece of cloth soaked in boar milk. “How’s it going guys?” Astrid asked, approaching the table.

“Slow,” Hiccup replied, setting down his block of ice. “We can’t find anything about that crest. I’m tempted to fly back to Berk and ask my dad. But that’s a really long flight, and why is that baby wrapped in _my_ fur?”

“Correction, this is Kory’s fur,” Astrid said smartly.

“No, that is most definitely mine. And since when is his name Kory?”

“Since I named him that. We can’t just call him ‘baby.’”

“Doesn’t the name Kory mean ‘unclear’?”

“Yes. That’s why I picked Kory. Because it’s _unclear_ who his parents are or where he’s from.”

“Great, so, do you think _Kory_ would give my fur back now?”

“No.”

“Come on, Astrid! Can’t he use one of yours? I really don’t want baby puke all over that fur.”

“He can’t use one of mine because mine are being washed, and he won’t puke all over it.”

“Sadari,” Fishlegs muttered suddenly.

“What?” Hiccup and Astrid chorused.

“Sadari,” Fishlegs repeated. “Kory is from the Sadari tribe.”

Hiccup stood and walked over to Fishlegs, looking over his shoulder at the book. “What else does it say?”

“The Sadari people are known for their migration north to south. At the beginning of fall, they come south to the island that we found. During the summer months, they move north to their hunter grounds to harvest seals and whales. They trade the meat and skins when they return. They are also known to be a very peaceful people, almost always backing down from a fight.”

“That’s why no one fought back,” Hiccup realized. “Fishlegs, what island to the go north to?”

“It’s called Ice-land.”

“Ise-land?” Astrid laughed. “It sounds like they’re mispronouncing island!”

“No, it’s spelled I-c-e. Ice-land. From what I can tell, it’s a very cold place. It’s almost impossible to survive a winter there.”

“Which is why the Sadari people migrate south,” Hiccup finished. “They won’t be back for three months or more. What are we going to with that baby?”

“Kory,” Astrid corrected sternly.

“Fine--Kory. Whatever.”

“We need to get him back to his parents,” Fishlegs said, setting aside the book. “We can’t be stand-ins for very long.”

Kory had been happily sucking on his milky cloth, but when the milk was gone, he started to cry again. Astrid started the bouncing/walking/rocking technique to clam him, but Kory was content to sob.

“Can you please shut that little monster up?!” Hiccup groaned, putting the block of ice back on his head.

“I’m trying!” Astrid snapped, moving Kory to her other shoulder and patting his back. The noise drew the twins and Snotlout to the hut.

“Oh, look,” Snotlout said, plopping down in a chair. “Devil baby is crying. Again.”

“You try and calm him down!” Astrid growled back.

“Astrid, Astrid.” Ruffnut chided, shaking her head. “There is a proper way to clam a baby, and getting angry at Snotlout is not it. Allow me.” She took the baby from Astrid’s arms and sat down in a chair with him. She hummed a few verses of a song before starting to sing:

_“Hush little baby, don’t you cry_

_Or the Berserkers will stab you in the eye_

_Then that eye will really hurt_

_And you’ll get blood all over your shirt.”_

As Ruffnut sang, Kory actually began to calm down.

_“Then that shirt will need to be washed_

_And you will freeze out in the frost.”_

Kory stopped sobbing all together, and gazed up at her with big, wonder-filled eyes.

_“Then a bear will eat your flesh_

_And your bones will be all that is left.”_

A look of terror flashed through his eyes, and Kory burst into tears again.

“Sorry, guys.” Ruffnut apologized, passing the baby back to Astrid. “That song works every time on Tuffnut.”

“Ruff, you do realize you’re singing to a _baby,_ right?” Astrid asked, a disgusted look on her face.

“Yeah.”

“Because that song was just… _morbid._ ”

“I’m preparing the kid for life.”

“What kind of life do you expect him to have?!”

“I don’t know. Maybe a fisherman, or a cabbage farmer, or a botanist! Yeah! He looks like a botanist to me!”

“Not like you even know what a botanist is,” Snotlout put in. “But this kid; he’s gonna be a warrior! Look at those arms!”

“Uh, he doesn’t look like a warrior at all,” Tuffnut commented, staring at the baby. “He looks kinda puny, and weak, and helpless. He looks like Hiccup.”

“Thank you, Tuff.” Hiccup rolled his eyes.

“He kinda does look like you,” Astrid said, looking from Kory to Hiccup. “Not in a bad way though. You guys have the same shaggy brown hair… and nose, too.” Astrid tickled Kory’s nose, changing his sobs to giggles. “You have the cutest little nose, don’t you?” Astrid coddled, her tone changing to that ridicules voice that people would only ever use when talking to a baby or a dog.

“Since when do you talk like that?” Hiccup asked, fighting the urge to laugh. “I thought you hated babies.”

“I do,” Astrid replied, laying Kory on her lap and tickling his belly. He cooed contentedly.

“Sure,” Hiccup muttered. He stood and walked over to the doorway, breathing some of the evening air. “Guys, listen,” he began, turning back around. “We have to get _Kory_ back to his parents. There is no way on earth that we can properly care for him until the Sadari return. Think about it. We could get raided at any time, we could have a rouge dragon attack; there are a hundred different things that could happen. It’s just not safe for him here. I say we leave tomorrow morning, fly up to that island, and get him back to his family.”

“That’s a great idea,” Fishlegs replied, “except for we would need to fly over forty different Dragon Hunter outposts. And another thing, it would be a several day flight to reach the Sadari Island. It’s not a quick trip there and back.”

“And flying would be way too cold for him,” Astrid added, “If the northern temperatures are hard on us, what could it do to a baby? Plus, I can’t dodge hunter arrows and bolas while holding Kory.”

Hiccup sighed. The simple plan of getting Kory home had just tripled in difficulty. They could no longer fly, and now they had to travel without hunters capturing them. “We could go by ship,” he offered.

“With what money?” Snotlout snorted mockingly. “We have no money. None. Nada.”

“True,” Hiccup agreed, a sly smile working across his face. “But I know where we can get some.”

. . .

“Uh, Hiccup? Are you sure about this?” Fishlegs called out nervously.

“Positive,” Hiccup yelled back.

“Because it seems really rash!”

“We’ll be fine!”

“What if the Hunters are there?”

“They won’t be!”

“What about the giant eels?”

“They won’t be a problem!”

“What about _the Reaper_?”

“We aren’t going anywhere near _The Reaper_!”

The riders urged their dragons faster as they neared the Ship Graveyard. They planned on gathering up all the wealth they could find to use for passage north. As the desolate scene came into view, Hiccup signaled for the other to land on a sea stack. Motioning for them to gather around him, he began quietly: “I’m going in first. If you hear Toothless shriek, fly back to the Edge as fast as you can. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone see you.”

“I thought you said they weren’t going to be any Hunters,” Fishlegs whispered harshly.

“It never hurts to take precautions.”

“I still don’t understand why Astrid got to stay behind and play with that little monster we risk our lives for him,” Snotlout muttered to the twins.

Hiccup ignored him and took off, flying as silently as an owl over the water. He scanned the area carefully for any disturbances before waving to the others to tell them it was safe. They each boarded a ship and stuffed its valuables into their saddlebags. Everyone found a substantial amount of goods.

They regrouped at the sea stack and had soon set off for the Edge again. When they reached their base, Astrid greeted them eagerly. “What did you find?” she asked excitedly, peering inside Toothless’ side pouch.

“We’ll show you in a minute,” Hiccup replied, dismounting and giving his dragon a quick pat.

They all dumped their findings on the table in Fishlegs’ hut. Everything consisted of some coins, a few gems, several artifacts, and some silk. “I thought maybe we could sell the antiques and cloth,” Fishlegs explained, noticing the others perplexed looks.

Hiccup sighed. “Even if those sell at a good price, there still isn’t enough here to get us all there.”

“We couldn’t all go anyway,” Astrid said pointedly. “We’d be far too recognizable if we traveled as a big group.”

“Which posses another problem. Which of us if going?”

“I’m not,” Snotlout shouted. “Demon baby is not my problem.”

“If that kid won’t even calm down to Tuff’s favorite lullaby, he’s going to be a nightmare to travel with. Count me out.” Ruffnut shrugged and left the room, Tuffnut nodding his agreement and following her.

“I _am_ going,” Astrid said, looking rather hard at Hiccup. “Whether some people like it or not.”

She’d read his mind. Warning her not to go was going to be the first words out of his mouth. But he couldn’t let her know that’s what he’d been thinking. “Great! Fishlegs, you and Astrid can go!”

Fishlegs laughed heartily. “Yeah, I don’t think so Hiccup. I’m in the middle of conducing a two month long experiment on plant pollination and fertilization. My azaleas and pansies need daily attention.”

“I’ll just go by myself,” Astrid decided, looking rather pleased with the outcome.

“No, you won’t.” Hiccup said, crossing his arms. “As much as I dislike that child and sea travel I cannot allow you to do something this dangerous alone. I’ll be coming too.”

“Hiccup!” Fishlegs exclaimed. “This provides the perfect cover!”

“What does?”

“You and Astrid going together! If you pretend you’re married-”

“And I’m going to stop you there,” Astrid but in. “No one is pretending they’re married to anyone.”

“Just think about it.” Fishlegs pressed. “You act like you’re a married couple with a new baby, and you’re moving north to live near your parents. If Ryker hears that, he won’t suspect anything! Now, if he heard that that two unmarried young adults were mysteriously going north with a baby that wasn’t theirs, he might investigate. That would bring nothing but trouble. The best way to avoid it is by never letting Ryker know who you are.”

“I hate to admit it,” Hiccup said finally, “but he really does have a point. We can hide behind a fake identity better than we can sneaking around all the time.”

Astrid stood weighing out her options. “I guess you’re right. The less we seem like ourselves, the less likely word will get out. But if we’re going to do this, we need to do this right. We need different names.”

“Oooh! This is so exciting!” Fishlegs squealed. “It’s like you two are spies or something!”

“I’ll go by my mom’s name: Gail.” Astrid decided.

“I would use my dad’s,” Hiccup said, “but he’s kind of well known, so…”

“You have an uncle, don’t you?” Astrid suggested.

“Spitelout? Do I look like a Spitelout to you?”

“No, no. The uncle on your mom’s side. The one who visited that one year for Thawfest and your dad had to kick him off Berk because he took the completion so seriously.”

“Oh, that uncle.”

“Yeah, what was his name?”

“Ander.”

“You look like you could be an Ander. Go with that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure! Now go pack your bags, my dear husband,” Astrid declared, imitating her mother’s accent well. “Because I will not be packing them for you!”  


	3. Leftie, Rightie

Hiccup, Astrid, and Kory stood on the docks of the busy sea port. This was not anything like what they had expected. Everything was so chaotic. Sailors rushed around, swearing over the littlest thing. Merchants bartered for wares, Travelers pushed their way through the throngs of people to reach the boat, and rats scurried around.

The two Dragon Riders had never felt so out of place. No, they looked as though they belonged there, they had made some clothes from extra furs and leather. It was the overwhelming business that intimidated them. Coming from the quiet island of Berk, this was the most people the two had ever seen in one place.

Hiccup scanned the scene for a ship headed north. He spotted a ship three or four times the size of a Berkian ship, but it looked relatively quiet. He motioned to Astrid to follow him, grabbed their bags, and approached the Captain. The gruff man stood off to the side of his ship, chewing on a piece of dried meat with a mug of ale in his other hand.

“Good morning to you!” Hiccup called.

The man nodded in reply. “And you.”

“Where are you headed?”

“North. Next Island up the chain.”

“Any room?”

“Depends. How many passengers?”

“Three. Myself, my wife, and our baby.” It was strangest thing he’d ever said-- calling Astrid his wife.

“I can fit you in.”

“How much?”

“Thirty sceattas.”

“Thirty? You and I both know that’s too much.”

“Listen, these seas are tough. Hunters attack on a regular basis. This job ain’t worth the trouble if I don’t get paid well.”

Hiccup had watched how his father brought a price down many times. All he had to was threaten to find a better price somewhere else. “Thirty is too much. I can find passage on some other ship for three times less. Have good day.” He turned to leave.

“I’m telling you, no one else is going to offer anything less. It’s too dangerous.”

Hiccup kept walking.

“I’ll make you a good deal, though.”

Hiccup stopped and turned around. “What’s the deal?”

“I’ll take of the price off your kid. You give me ten now, and ten when I get you there with no Hunter trouble.”

Hiccup thought for a minute. Twenty was still more than he wanted to pay, but I was probably the best price he would get. He walked back to the captain. “Deal,” he said, shaking the Captain’s hand.

The man smiled, showing that he was missing several teeth. His breath stank of rum. “Ship leaves in an hour.”

Hiccup pulled the money from his pocket, being careful not to show how much there was. Thievery was common in sailors. He passed the money over, and the Captain counted it out and waved them on toward his ship.

“You can board now. First mate’ll show you to a cabin.”

Hiccup nodded his thanks and helped Astrid gather up their bags. They boarded the ship, peering around for the first mate. A young woman approached them.

“Are you passengers?” she asked, her accent thick.

Astrid nodded. “Are you first mate?”

“Aye. The Captain is my father. Let me show you to your cabin.” She led them down into the hold of the ship. She pulled a pair off keys from her leather belt and unlocked the a door. It creaked painfully. “Here’s your room. I hope you find it satisfactory.” With that she walked away.

The two walked slowly into the room, as though expecting something to jump out and attack them. The room was dimply lit by a small lantern hanging from the low ceiling. It was damp, and strange and unpleasant smells drifted around freely. The was a chest of drawers in on corner with a small mirror mounted on it. There was only one bed, and it was a small bed at that.

“Great, only one bed,” Astrid groaned under her breath.

“Don’t worry,” Hiccup chuckled. “I’ll sleep on top of the covers.”

“Yeah, you will.” Astrid replied, as though it were the obvious. She set Kory down on the bed and fished out a bottle of boar milk from the bags. She dipped a handkerchief in the milk and gave it to Kory. She then pulled out a drawer and arranged a spare fur in it. She brought the make-shift crib over to the bed and set it down on the floor, transferring Kory to it. She paused to wipe more drool off his face.

“That kid is disgusting,” Hiccup commented as he lit another lantern.

“Just be thankful I don’t make you change his diapers.”

“You couldn’t _make_ me do anything.”

“Wanna bet? I’ve got a dagger in my boot.”

“What is it with you and violence?” Hiccup said with a laugh. “Always resorting to the weapon.”

“You can’t trust people, but you can trust steel.”

“You can trust me, can’t you?”

“You’re part steel.” She gestured to his leg.

Hiccup started to laugh. Normally when someone cracked a joke about his leg, he found it hurtful, but Astrid had managed to make it worth laughing over. He grabbed his satchel bag and sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and stretching out his legs. He pulled his sketch book out of the bag and it down beside him, and then fished around the bag for a pencil. The writing implements seemed to have vanished. He’d packed at least three; how could they be so hard to find?

Hiccup finally found one and set the bag aside. He skillfully ran the charcoal pencil across the paper, his lines curving slightly. He rotated the notebook so that his hand would not smear out what he’d drawn and sketched out an oval-ish shape. The image was beginning to take form. It was very clearly a drawing of a Night Fury, presumably Toothless. He added the fins down the dragon’s back, titling them according to the body position.

He glanced over at Astrid, who had dozed off on the bed beside him. She’d had hardly any sleep the night before; she stayed up trying to pack everything needed for a possibly three week long trip. (And making new clothes, and finding food for Kory, and consolidating everything into smaller bags, and so on and so forth.) She had actually packed Hiccup’s bags, barging into his room at only Thor knows how early in the morning and demanding to know where his stuff was. He had planned on doing it the next morning, but Astrid simply took that as a lousy excuse and made him gather up what he wanted to bring. He had passed her his things, fallen back into bed, and pulled the covers over his head.

Astrid deserved to sleep. She had worked all night while everyone else slept. She had woke Hiccup up in the morning and dragged him out of bed despite his “it’s too early” notions. She had given him breakfast (some bread and an apple since she was never much of a cook) and forced him to set out early enough to catch a ship before it left the port. Fishlegs was the only one to get up and wish them good luck, still wrapped in a blanket and yawning every five seconds. Astrid deserved more than sleep. She deserved to hibernate.

Hiccup heard the ship beginning to creak as it left the port, rocking steadily with it hit the open water. Shouts from the crew above them could be heard rather clearly; they were _loud_. Hiccup hated sea travel. Ever since he was little, he’d always been prone to getting sea sick. He could do barrel rolls and dives and flips on a dragon and not even feel dizzy, but on a boat? The tiniest lurch could turn his stomach inside out. He actually preferred stormy weather over clam. The small, tilting movement of a ship rocking in calm water made him want to retch. The worst was when it was just a little stormy, rocking the boat just enough to throw you off balance. He despised that rise and fall feeling that came during almost-stormy weather.

He tried ignoring the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach and continued to work on his sketch, but nausea is not something easily ignored. Astrid stirred beside him, and finally sat up rubbing her neck.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked groggily, clearly confused as to why she was lying on the bed.

“Yep.”

“For how long?”

“Maybe an hour.”

“I’m still tired.”

“Go back to sleep then.”

“Nah. I’m not that tired.” She sat quietly for a minute, staring off into space. She was obviously still waking up. “Whatcha drawing?” she said finally.

“Toothless,” he said shortly; talking made him feel worse.

“Can I see?”

He titled his paper so that she could see it. Apparently by “see” she had meant “hold”, so she took it from him and admired his work for a minute. “I wish I could draw like you,” she said softly, passing the paper back. Without a word, she grabbed his notebook and tore out a blank page, then asked for a pencil.

Hiccup reluctantly dug through his bag again and produced a second pencil. She leaned against the back board and started to draw, pausing every so often to glance to glance at the sleeping baby to the right of her. It soon became easy to see that she was drawing Stormfly, but the head was badly misshaped.

“I can’t get the horn right,” she sighed, smearing out the line and starting again.

“Want some help?” Hiccup asked glancing at her artwork.

“Yeah,” she said with a smile.

Hiccup reached over and drew a curved line—the top of the horn. He finished the bottom side of the horn and smeared the top line down a little with his thumb, creating a sense of depth.

“You can do the tail, too,” Astrid told him, moving her hand out of his way. “I stink at tails.”   

Hiccup slid his hand across the page, and started on the Nadder’s tail. He sketched out the spines, and drew a small hook-like feature at the base of each spine, showing where it connected to the skin.

“Hiccup!” Astrid said suddenly. “You’re smearing out the head!”

It was true. His wrist was smudging out the head, body, and wings. “Oh, I’m sorry Astrid,” he apologized. “It’s just one of the problems of being a leftie. I smear out my own work all the time.”

“I know,” Astrid replied with a tiny grin. “It’s pretty funny. But don’t expect to get off the hook with that excuse.” She reached over and scribbled across his Night Fury.

“Hey!” Hiccup tried to push her arm away, but her dominant arm was too strong for his right hand.

She laughed at his weak attempt. “It’s just one of the benefits of being a rightie.”

Hiccup changed his offense to defense. He rubbed the side of his fist across her paper, smearing the Nadder out completely. Astrid just giggled and scribbled out more of his dragon. Hiccup grinned mischievously and wiped the charcoal on the side of his hand across her cheek.

“Stop,” she gasped between laughs.

He didn’t stop. He kept right on at it, smudging black on her nose. Astrid swung her pencil at his face wildly, trying to draw a mark or two on his cheeks. Laughing, he rubbed more charcoal on her face. His arms were longer, give him the advantage. Astrid poked the inside of his elbow the pencil, and his arm caved in. She reached forward and scribbled all over his face and neck.

“Alright, alright!” Hiccup chuckled, “you win!”

“Not yet I don’t,” she said, grinning. She grabbed his left hand and wrote in big, bold letters: **_Righties rule, lefties drool._ ** “Now I win,” she told him smugly.

“Oh, that’s a low blow,” he shook his head. “Or at least, it would be.” He picked up the pencil with his right hand _._ He did not have as much control with his right hand as he did with his left, but still managed to write very clearly on her right arm: **_Righties drool, bothies rule._**   


	4. Abs and Emotions

Astrid lay in bed, Kory nestled in her arms under folds of the fur she used as a blanket. He was sleeping quietly, his fist in his mouth. She propped herself up on her elbow and gazed down at the baby. She couldn’t help but smile at how he subconsciously suckled on his hand. She had never liked babies, but Kory was a special exception. She had found him, she had brought him into her care, and until his parents were found, he was _hers._ Kory was _her_ baby. She liked the sound of that.

She wondered where Hiccup was. He had said he was going up to the deck to get some fresh air, though she knew he was really just making himself scarce so that she could ready herself for bed. He could be such a _gentleman_ when he wanted to be! Her mind traveled back to how he had chosen to sleep in the academy with her when her house had been destroyed. The others had been in on it too, but it was all Hiccup’s idea.

Hiccup’s future wife would be in good hands. Out of every eligible young man she knew, Hiccup was by far the most admirable. She sighed. Someday they would both be married, have children, and grow old. They would share the rest of their lives with Mr. or Mrs. Right, and that would be that. Perhaps Hiccup was her Mr. Right… Astrid cut her thoughts short. No. There would be no such thoughts coming from her!

But harm could come from thinking about Hiccup in _that_ way just once? After all, he _had_ flirted with her. Or had he? Had she taken his attention in the wrong way? What if he just wanted to be friends, and she had imagined any flirtatious part about their interactions?

That time when they had been trapped under the ice with Toothless and Stormfly, Hiccup had wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. Was he expressing attraction, or just trying to look out for her? That had been so long ago. Did he even remember it?

The time he had given himself up to Alvin to save her. Was that simply being the brave person that he was? Would he so willingly have done same thing for anyone else?

Had he rescued her from the giant eels with thoughts of losing her or simply doing the responsible thing? When she had been lost at sea all day after getting separated from her dragon, did he hold her in his arms as a friend, or something more?

Her father said that boys tease the girl they like. Did Hiccup tease her? Not much, or at least not that came to mind. Well, there was that one time when Ruffnut and Tuffnut had taken over the Edge. He had teased her about getting sent to the Thorstonton Royal Dungeon. But her father had said in was lots of teasing, to the point of annoying. Snotlout teased her more than Hiccup did.

Maybe Hiccup just wasn’t that irritating kind of guy. Maybe he had figured out that girls despised all the teasing and just thought it was stupid and so he just acted like a gentleman. He did call her “M’lady,” and that was something her only did for her. He never called Ruffnut “M’lady,” but Ruff wasn’t exactly a “lady” to begin with.

She had to admit that Hiccup had been giving her a good bit more attention recently, but that was probably just because she was around him all the time.

What if Hiccup was just _nice?_ What if he didn’t like her at all? What if _she_ was stuck in _his_ friend-zone? What if she was just a good friend to him, or ever worse, a _sister?_ Once she was in the sister-zone, there was no escaping.

Her heart started to sink at that thought. What if Hiccup just liked her in a friendly way and he would never change that opinion? A scenario formed in her mind. Hiccup found the perfect woman, and married her. Astrid would be forced to watch them live together happily, raise their children, and grow old together. She would forever be the outsider stuck in the friend-zone.

She suddenly realized she was teary-eyed. Was she _crying?_ About Hiccup marrying someone other than her? What was _wrong_ with her?!

 _Get a grip,_ she scolded herself. _This is not something to cry over. You just invented the whole thing in your head. Hiccup doesn’t like you. You don’t like him. You’re friend, just friends, and only friends._

Tears kept coming. _Stop it!_ She wiped her eyes and squeezed them shut. It took a few deep breaths to get her emotions under control again. Her face was probably red and splotchy, but at least she had stopped the tears.

A knock at the door startled her. “Gail?” She heard Hiccup call from outside. The name took her by surprise, and then she remembered. She was Gail, not Astrid.

“Come in,” she called back softly, trying not to wake Kory. Her voice was shakier that she would have liked it to be.

The door moaned as it opened. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.

“You okay?” he asked, noticing her face.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.”

Hiccup shut the door and started across the room, his metal leg squeaking with every step. He stopped by his bags and started to remove his leather armor. He set everything down on top of his bag and came over to the bed. He sighed and plopped down on the straw mattress, making it crunch.

“It’s so hot in this cabin,” he muttered, tugging on his shirt to cool himself.

“I don’t think it’s too hot,” Astrid said, relaxing into her pillow. “It’s cozy and warm. It’s just the right temperature to make me sleepy.” She yawned.

“Nice and cozy?” Hiccup asked, amused. “It’s sweltering in here.”

“You’re just a guy. Guys always think it’s too hot when it’s perfect.”

“And girls always think it’s just right when it’s too hot.” With that he started to pull off his red tunic, but stopped short. He turned to Astrid, blushing a little. “Do you mind if I take my shirt off?”

 _Such a gentleman._ “No. Go ahead.”

Hiccup pulled the fabric over his head, sighing as cooler air rushed around him. Astrid on the other hand, couldn’t make a sound. She couldn’t even breathe. Since when did Hiccup have biceps? He turned and laid back on the bed giving her a brief view of his chest. Her neck felt hot as she glanced at his well-toned abdomen. When had he gotten a six-pack?

No one could have known that Hiccup was actually quite muscular. He always wore long selves, and he was so tall that the muscle he had was not noticeable in comparison to his height. But without a tunic? Sweat baby Thor in a Thunderstorm! He was beyond noticeable! Astrid was finding it difficult to keep her eyes off him.

“Do you know what I mean?” Hiccup was saying.

Astrid was jerked out of her trance. Oh, Thor! Hiccup had been talking to her, and she had be so busy watching his abs that she didn’t even hear him! “Huh?” It escaped before she could stop it. Drat. No he knew she wasn’t listening. _Moron._

“I was saying how the dragons could help heat rooms. I was asking if you had experimented with the different flames.”

“Oh, yeah.” Astrid racked her brain to come up with words. “I- I just didn’t understand the question. I think just a regular flame is the best.” _Please let that be a good answer!_

It clearly wasn’t. Hiccup stared at her for a minute, his face portraying one sentence: You weren’t listening, were you? He was to nice to say it, though. He rolled over and faced her.

Now she could see his entire chest and abs. The scrawny, awkward teenager he was once been had been replaced with the hottest guy she had ever seen in her life.

“Actually,” Hiccup said rather deliberately, trying to make sure he had her attention, “I think a slow burn is the best.”

Astrid was trying to keep her gaze on his face, but her eyes kept wandering back to his abdomen. _Avert your eyes!_ Her mind screamed at her. _Avert them! He’s going to notice and then you’ll be dead! Avert your stupid eyes!_ She fidgeted uncomfortably underneath her blankets. Thank the gods that Kory was in between her and Hiccup.

“Are you okay?” Hiccup asked.

 _No! I am not okay! Your sexy little abs are killing me!_ “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I already told you that.”

“You seem a little flushed.”

 _I KNOW!! AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!_ “Well, it is maybe a little bit warm in here. Th-that’s probably why.”

“Being buried under mounds of furs doesn’t help.” He reached over and started to pull a fur off of her.

 _No! Do not come any closer! I’m gonna melt if you come one **inch** closer! How dare you just take off my fur! Put it back! _“Th-thanks.”

Hiccup’s brows furrowed in concern. “You really don’t seem okay.”

 _NO DUH!!!_ “What would…make you think that?”

“You look kind of sick.” He pressed the back of his hand up against her forehead.

_Get your hand off me, you idiot! You’re only making things worse!_

“No fever,” Hiccup said, worry in his tone. “You’re probably right that it’s just how hot the room is.”

 _Great. Now put a tunic on so that I can start breathing again!_ “Yeah, probably.”

Hiccup rolled back over onto his back. Astrid let out a tiny sigh of relief. What had possessed her to let him take his shirt off? _Moron._

“Is Kory okay?” Hiccup asked absentmindedly, picking at his thumb, the way he always did whenever he was bored.

Astrid drew in a breath to get her emotions under control. “Yeah,” she began casually. “It took him a while to fall asleep, but he’s fine now.”

“Do you think we’ll actually find his parents?” Hiccup glanced over at her, a few locks of his hair falling into his eyes.

“I don’t see why we won’t. I mean, we know where the Sadari people went, so, his parents are bound to be there.” Astrid replied, finally starting to breath naturally again.

The ship lurched suddenly, causing Hiccup to groan and quickly pull his hand up to rest his knuckles on his mouth. He tensed visibly, his breathing rapid and heavy.

“Are you okay?” Astrid asked him, forgetting all about how hot his abs were.

It took him a few seconds to respond. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. “I think so.”

“What happened?” she pried. “You looked like you were about ready to puke.”

“I was. I get sea sick really easy, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess I forgot.” Astrid smiled sheepishly. “Can I get anything for you? Water maybe?”

Eyes still closed, Hiccup smiled his thanks. “I’m good. This isn’t really that bad. It was just that one tilt that sent my stomach up my throat.”

Astrid rolled onto her back, listening as the ship creaked painfully. “What do you think the captain meant by ‘Hunter trouble?’” she asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

Hiccup shrugged. “Same as we would mean it. They board the ship, loot it, and report back to Viggo.”

Astrid looked over at him nervously. “That wasn’t exactly my idea of ‘trouble.’”

“What was?”

“A few warning arrows to stay away.”

Hiccup smirked. “That’s funny. Coming from you especially.”

Astrid frowned and twisted around to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It just sounds so…naïve.”

“Are you calling me naïve?” Astrid demanded.

“No, I’m only saying that you normally overestimate the enemy rather than underestimate them. It seemed odd that you would expect Ryker to just shoot off warning arrows.”

“Are you calling me odd?”

“What?! Why are you taking this so personally?” Hiccup rolled onto his side and leaned on his elbow. “ I am pointing out observations, not solid facts.”

“Why am I taking this so personally?! Why did you say it so personally?!”

“I didn’t!”

“You did! You called me naïve and odd and comical-” Astrid trailed off, tears brimming in her eyes. _No! No crying!_ Too late. A big, fat, hot, salty tear slid down her cheek. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Hiccup saw it.

His annoyed and confused expression melted away, replaced by remorse. “Astrid, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Astrid rotated in the bed, turning her back on Hiccup and Kory. “Goodnight,” she said firmly, making it clear she did not want to be spoken to again. Hiccup sighed and moved around, probably facing away from her. He blew out the candle bolted to the table. “Goodnight,” he whispered.

Astrid didn’t reply. She was too embarrassed to say a word. This was the first time Hiccup had ever seen her cry, and it was over a stupid argument. That was _not_ an excuse for crying. The death of her parents or Stormfly; she could cry over that. Not over getting the idea that Hiccup thought she was naïve. What in the world was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she stop herself from crying? She sighed quietly as a few frustrated tears hit her pillow.  She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but somehow, she _had_ to keep her emotions in check. 


	5. Secure

Astrid woke with a start, her hair and night clothes sticking to her sweaty body. The cabin was dark, but just enough moonlight streamed through the tiny window to make out her surroundings. She sat up quietly, trying not to disturb the sleeping baby next to her. Had it all been a dream? Her terrified breath started to slow. She heard the creaking of the ship and the waves lapping up against the hold. She wiped her clammy palms on the fur. It was a dream. Oh, thank the gods above, it was all a dream! She had to be completely sure, though.

Hiccup slept on the other side of Kory. He was on his stomach and snoring rather unattractively. Astrid glanced at his bottom lip, searching for teeth marks. She couldn’t help but smile when she found none.

Relieved, she curled back up beside Kory. She tried for at least an hour with no success. Her mind could not leave her dream alone. It had felt so _real_. Every drop of sweat, every wave of flutters in her stomach, it had seemed _real_. How in the world had her brain been able to create such a vivid scene?

She had never thought of herself as a “dirty-minded” person. But this, why, dirty hardly covered it! She had never, ever, EVER, thought of Hiccup in such a way before. Sure, she’d said he was cute. Sure, she’d kissed him once or twice. Sure, she sometimes wished he would actually kiss back instead of tensing up. But never in her LIFE had she thought he might try to force himself on her!

He simply wasn’t like that. Why would her mind portray _Hiccup_ in such a way? Snotlout, she could understand. She always tried to never allow herself to be alone with him, and when she was a little younger, she had even been cautious around Fishlegs. She had never felt that need with Hiccup. He couldn’t have over powered her for the life of him.  Now, though, she wasn’t so sure. He had buffed up to be able fight off Hunters. He could probably pin her down too.

She suddenly felt nervous. Maybe the dream had been her subconscious warning her to be more careful. But she had been just as eager!

She rolled onto her back, sighing heavily. It was so confusing. She wished she could be ten again, full of innocence and ready to face the future. There were no boy-problems when she was ten—and no dirty nightmares, either. Normally, she could have told her mother about her insane dream. Gail would’ve consoled her and given her advice, and the problem would be solved.

Now she couldn’t. She was in the middle of the ocean, with only Hiccup, and if that wasn’t bad enough, she had to pretend like she was married to him!

Shame began to burn in her cheeks as she realized she couldn’t really bring herself to tell her mother what she’d dreamt. She had no control over what her mind created while she slept, but it still humiliated her to think that such things could even be in her subconscious.

Light started to stream through the tiny notch in the wall. Restless sleepiness overwhelmed her, but no matter how tightly she closed her eyes, she couldn’t drift off. Hiccup’s snoring grew softer, and he lifted his head just long enough to turn his head to face the other way. Kory started to shift around, suckling quietly. Astrid tried to get a few more minutes of rest before the day started, but sleep would not come.

Hiccup finally yawned and sat up, stretching and squeezing his stiff neck, trying to get full rotation back. He _had_ to stop sleeping on his stomach. Early morning air had cooled the cabin, and he rubbed the goose bumps on his bare arms. He yawned again, staring blankly into space.

Kory sneezed and drew him out of his trance, starting to whimper. The baby wanted breakfast. Astrid sat up and gathered him into her arms, and he decided he could be quiet for just a little longer.

“Morning,” Hiccup smiled at her, stifling another yawn.

“Morning,” she replied, though she didn’t meet his gaze.

“Sleep well?”

“I-I guess.”

“I’ve got to stop sleeping on my stomach. It makes my neck stiff.”

Astrid didn’t reply. She actually looked away from him. Hiccup’s brows furrowed in concern. “Is something bothering you?” he asked, trying to look her in the eyes. She purposely avoided eye contact.

“I guess,” she said again, glancing up at him briefly.

“What?”

“It’s…it’s nothing important.”

The fight. She had to be upset about the fight. “Is this about last night?”

She blushed visibly. “Yes…No. I don’t know.”

“Did I do something?” That seemed to make her even more uncomfortable. What had he said? What was he missing? Ugh. Women. All about the subtle hints. “Did I do something wrong?” he repeated, more articulately this time.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t you…It was me. I mean technically it wasn’t your fault but yeah, it was you. Well, it was me too but…” she trailed off, staring at her fur ashamedly.

“That didn’t really help,” Hiccup smiled gently, trying to soften her up. He put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened a little, glancing up at him with frightened eyes. What had he done to make her so untrusting?!

“I…I just don’t want to tell you.” She looked genuine.

“Astrid, if I did something wrong, please tell me. I want to know.”

“It was just a dream, okay? Not a big deal.” She tried to get up and walk away.

Hiccup grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She suddenly noticed how strong his grip was. “Was it about me?” he asked, staring at her intensely.

She dropped her head, nodding.

“And?”

“I need to feed Kory.”

He put his hand back on her shoulder. “You can tell me. Just get it off your chest.”

Astrid sighed. “We…we were being a little… _playful,_ ” she began, trying to figure out the words to use. “And by playful I mean heated play.”

Hiccup had picked up on what “playful” meant without any explanation. “So?” he pressed.

“So I guess it went a little too far, and…” her voice went quiet. She finally met his eyes. Her gaze was fearful and ashamed. “And you forced yourself on me.”

 _No. Wonder._ For a minute, Hiccup wasn’t sure how to respond. It made him a little awkward to think about such a dream, but he was more so ashamed with himself that Astrid needed to be worried he might do something like that to her.

“I’m sorry,” Astrid whispered, “I- that isn’t how I think of you. I just-” she hung her head again.

_She’s **scared** of you! You imbecile! How did you not notice?! That’s why she was being so uneasy last night! She was scared!!_

“I really don’t know where a dream like that could have come from; maybe it’s just a bunch of stuff that my head stuck together in a dream. Please don’t take it the wrong way…”

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! Do something! Don’t just sit here! She thinks you’re mad at her!_

He saw a single tear drop onto Kory’s fur, and she quickly wiped her hand across her cheek. She was crying! His throat tightened. What could he do? He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but that would just make her trust him even less. Should he leave and give her privacy? No, his dad had said women seek emotional support or something like that. Leaving would make her feel like he was abandoning her and letting her fend for herself. Should he say something? Should he not? Should he offer a hug?

Astrid was crying harder now. She tried to wipe her eyes, but couldn’t do so very well due to the baby in her arms. She shifted him around, trying to free one of her hands. Hiccup reached forward and gently lifted Kory from her arms. She looked up at him curiously with eyes full of tears, wondering what he was thinking. He carried the baby around to the drawer-crib on the floor and put him in. He found the bottle of boar milk and a clean handkerchief, and started to prepare the baby’s breakfast. He finally gave it to Kory, making sure he was sucking on it before he sat down on the bed next to Astrid.

She was still a little tearful, and he wanted so badly to know why. He wished she would just tell him what she wanted. He would gladly do it. Hiccup just wanted her to be happy again.

Astrid wiped he eyes and glanced at him, still not willing to meet his gaze. “I- I’m really sorry,” she started again, her voice wavering. “I don’t know why…it’s just…” She couldn’t finish. She drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down, but it only made her cry harder.

Hiccup’s chest constricted painfully as he watched her. He longed to do something, anything, to soothe her. The sight of her crying was ripping his heart out.

“Please say something,” she begged, on the verge of sobbing. “I don’t care what. Don’t just sit there…you’re making me feel worse.”

Hiccup couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Astrid and pulled her into a hug. She stopped crying briefly out of surprise. “If you’re going to cry,” Hiccup began, whispering in her ear, “you’re going to have a shoulder to cry on.”

He felt Astrid heave as she began to sob, clinging to him for all she was worth. He could feel her hot tears falling on his bare back. Though he was unsure of why she was sobbing so hard, he was glad she felt secure enough with him to cry when she needed to. He could feel her moving her hand to wipe her eyes again.

Astrid rested her head on his shoulder, tears still falling steadily. She had never imagined how much comfort she could gain from Hiccup holding her, his strong arms wrapped around her, one hand stroking her hair. She couldn’t even fathom how she had ever felt unsafe around him. It seemed that the safest place she could possibly be was in his arms.

She nestled her head against his chest, listening to the calming sound of his heartbeat. A few stubborn tears fell, staining his chest. She moved to brush them off her face, but stopped short—Hiccup was doing it for her. His fingers were calloused from hard labor in the forge, but they still felt so soft and tender on her wet cheeks. His thumb grazed just under eye, rubbing away her tears.

It suddenly came to her that no matter how handsome Hiccup might be, this is what she truly loved about him. The night before she had fawned over his muscles and outward appearance, but now…that hardly mattered. She didn’t care what he looked like as long as she could stay right where she was.

She allowed herself to sink further into him, welcoming the emotion that came with it. This was different from any other time she had been around him. Heat did not pool in her stomach. Her heart did not trip over itself. She could not feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. She only felt…secure. Safe. Protected.

A sense of peace washed over her that she had not felt in a long, long time. It was that quiet sort of peace, when nothing need be said or done. She could just be…still.

Neither of them could say how much time passed as they sat quietly, Astrid wrapped securely in Hiccup’s arms. But no matter how long the time lasted, all silence must be broken.

“Are you alright now?” Hiccup asked gently.

Astrid could only nod.

“You wanted me to say something,” he went on, “what did you have in mind?”

“I wanted you to tell me if you were angry.”

“About what?”

“About the dream.”

“Why should I be angry? Dreams have nothing to do with reality. I had a dream once that I had joined the Hunters and was killing everyone on Berk, wearing Toothless’ head as a helmet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But if you didn’t feel safe around me, I wish you would have said something. I would never have put you in a situation where we alone like this if I knew it made you uncomfortable. Please know this, though. I would never, ever do anything to you, not even if my life depended on it. You are worth more that to me, Astrid. All I want is your trust.”

“You have it. You’re part steel, remember?”

She felt him smile.

“If the peg-leg is what makes you trust me, I’d gladly give up my other foot. But unless it’s absolutely imperative that you have an extra boost of trust, I would like to keep the one foot I have left.”

“I suppose that would be acceptable.”        


	6. Aboard the Icelord

The ship reached its destination in good time (two days) with not even a sighting of a Hunter ship. Astrid and Hiccup gathered up their things and left the ship, keeping their eyes peeled for any enemies. They purchased more milk for Kory and began to search for another ship. It seemed as though no one was headed north.

Hiccup noticed a large ship preparing to leave the harbor. The sails were turned to catch a north-blowing wind. He motioned to Astrid, and the two quickly approached the captain before he boarded.

“How much for passage north?” Hiccup asked, getting straight to the point.

The captain turned back to them, fixing a cold, sly gaze on Astrid. “Free if the little lady spends the night in my cabin.”

Hiccup glared at the man, warning him to leave Astrid alone. He grabbed Astrid’s arm and pulled her away.

She shifted the baby in her arms as she followed him. “Why didn’t you bargain for passage?” she asked, surprised. “That’s the first ship we found going north.”

“I don’t want anything to do with a captain like that,” Hiccup replied shortly.

“I don’t think he was serious about me sleeping in his cabin.”

Hiccup scoffed slightly. “He was beyond serious. Besides, I think this ship’s headed north.” He pointed to a _huge_ ship sitting in the harbor. It was being loaded with cargo, the captain barking out orders.

A cold, northern wind swept through the port. Astrid pulled Kory’s fur up around his cheeks. Hiccup glanced from the baby to Astrid, concerned. “He’s okay.” Astrid reassured.

“And you?”

“I’m good too.” She smiled.

Hiccup smiled back and approached the ship’s captain. Astrid watched him carefully, making sure she could always find him in the crowds of people. She could see him talking to the captain, who seemed to be much nicer, even from the large distance she was from him.

Astrid suddenly felt a gruff hand on her shoulder. She let out a quiet gasp and whirled around. There was the captain Hiccup had warned her about. He was sneering at her with his fingers wrapped tightly around her arm. She could do nothing, though, as there was a baby in her arms.

“Come on, Lassie,” he snarled. “ You’ll make a lovely addition to my crew.”

Astrid pulled against him. “I don’t want anything to do with you or your crew.”

“I didn’t ask whether you wanted to be part of my crew. You will do what I tell you. I don’t care if I have to drug you to get you in my cabin.”

“Get someone else.” Astrid tried to struggle harder.

“Not many ladies travel through these parts. I pick the ones I can. My last girl only lasted ‘bout three weeks. I was givin’ a bonus to one of my best sailors. She refused him. I killed her on the spot. I still owe the man, but I’ll have you first. You’re a pretty little thing, ain’t you?”

“Let go of me!”

The man laughed cruelly and tried to drag her along.

“What about my baby?” Astrid demanded, pulling back with all her might. “What am I supposed to do with him?”

“I can’t have ‘im cryin’; I’ll give to a dragon or somethin’.”

“Let me go! Now! Ander!!”

He showed no signs of releasing her. Why was no one helping? Couldn’t they see she was in trouble? “Let go!” she screamed, attempting to stomp her foot down on his.

“May I _help_ you?” The voice was stern and fierce. The man stopped pulling on her arm and looked up. There stood Hiccup, his arms folded. Fury raged in his eyes. “What in the name of Thor do you think you’re doing with my wife?!”

The man smiled cunningly. “You wife, huh? I’ll give you 750 sceattas for her.”

Hiccup wanted to slap the strange man silly for his “offer.” Astrid was not some animal to be sold at a sea port. “Get your filthy hands off her,” he commanded angrily.

“Or else?” the man challenged.

Hiccup pulled his dagger from his belt and shoved it up against the man’s throat, forcing him to move back. “I said to let her go. Now either you get out of here, or I will end you so fast you won’t have time to wish you never touched this woman in the first place.”

The man released Astrid’s arm and backed away slowly, his eyes glued to Hiccup’s knife. He finally disappeared into the marketplace.

“Thanks,” Astrid said softly.

Hiccup slipped the knife back in his belt and turned to her. “Did he hurt you?”

“No, not really. My arm might bruise, though. I just glad you showed up when you did.”

Hiccup gave her a small smile. “Me too. Come on, I got passage on that other ship—The _Icelord_. Odd name, I must say.”

Astrid followed him closely, trying to ignore her aching arm. The man had a strong grip. Her hand had gone numb while his fingers were wrapped around her arm. She and Hiccup boarded the ship, noticing the low sun hanging just over the horizon.

A crew member led them down into the hold and into a room. There were no windows—just a few slights in the wall to allow moonlight to enter and lanterns to light the room. The sailor left wordlessly. Astrid glanced around the room. “Great,” she muttered. “Only bunks. No bed.”

“Hey,” Hiccup replied cheerfully. “Just be thankful there’s two this time. You and Kory can have the bottom bunk, I’ll sleep up top.”

Astrid smiled her thanks and set Kory down on the bunk. He rolled over and started to crawl towards the edge. “No, no,” Astrid chided, picking him up. “Stay put.” Kory didn’t want to stay put. He wanted to explore. The second Astrid put him down, he tried to crawl away again. Astrid sighed and grabbed him. “How am I supposed to unpack and get you your dinner if you won’t stay put?” Kory just cooed and smiled up at her, some drool running down his chin.

“I’ve got him,” Hiccup told her, scooping the baby up from her grasp. Astrid stood up, allowing Hiccup to sit in her place. “How old do you think he is?” Hiccup asked rather absentmindedly, standing Kory up on his lap and supporting him under his arms.

“I don’t know,” Astrid replied, opening up a bottle of yak milk. She smelled the contents before dipping the cloth inside. “Maybe five or six months old. It’s hard to say.”

“He’s got a lot of hair for someone so young,” Hiccup chuckled, watching in amusement as Kory bounced up and down with excitement at the sight of Astrid and his dinner.

“Oh, look who’s talking,” Astrid teased, ruffling Hiccup’s hair with one hand and passing Kory the wet cloth with the other. Hiccup ducked out of the way, but was too late. Kory babbled something incoherent and tried to stuff the entire cloth in his mouth at one time.

“That’s not gonna work, buddy,” Hiccup laughed, pulling some of the fabric out of the baby’s mouth.

“Buddy?” Astrid asked, surprised. “I thought you hated little kids.”

“This one’s growing on me. You still get to do all the dirty work, though.”

Astrid smacked the back of his head playfully and laughed. “I’m going to get some water,” she said, picking up the bucket the sailor had brought for them. “You two stay out of trouble. Especially you.” She wagged a finger at Hiccup.

She collected some water from the ship’s kitchen, and carried it back to the cabin. She overheard some of the crew preparing to set sail. She opened the door to the room and couldn’t help but laugh. Hiccup was leaned back on her bunk, Kory sitting on top of his chest, giggling hysterically.

“Hey,” Hiccup smiled at her. “Watch this. He loves it.” Hiccup drew in a _huge_ breath, his chest, and Kory, rising. Kory started to giggle less. Hiccup pushed the air out of his lungs as fast as he could, his chest dropping considerably. Kory burst into hysteric giggles again.

Astrid laughed and set the water down. “Just make sure you have a good hold on him. I don’t want him to fall.”

“Don’t worry,” Hiccup reassured. He adjusted his grip on Kory’s arms, his hands covering up the little boy’s entire forearm.

Astrid watched Hiccup and Kory play, pulling out a loaf of bread from a bag and tearing off a chunk. Kory noticed that Astrid was eating. He stopped giggling and tried to reach for her, whimpering a little. Hiccup glanced over at Astrid, wondering what had captured Kory’s attention.

Astrid walked over, and Kory reached out for some of her bread. Astrid thought for a minute. “I guess you have a little bit,” she decided, breaking off the _tiniest_ piece of bread possible. She held it out for the baby.

“How’s he going to eat that?” Hiccup asked. “He doesn’t have any teeth.”

“He’ll probably just let it sit in his mouth until it turns to mush,” Astrid replied. Hiccup let go of Kory’s hand, and the baby eagerly grabbed the piece of bread Astrid offered him. He stuffed in his mouth and started to mush it around between his gums.

“See? Mush.” Astrid looked down at Hiccup knowingly.

Kory suddenly screwed up his face and spit the half-mushed bread out of his mouth and onto Hiccup’s tunic.

“Gross!” Hiccup moaned, sitting up and passing the baby to Astrid, who was laughing her head off.

Hiccup brushed the food off his shirt and pulled the tunic over his head. He dug through his bag a took out the spare, quickly putting it on. The northern weather was beginning to grow colder. Hiccup glared at Kory. “You may be growing on me, kid, but you’re still disgusting.”

Kory just gurgled and smiled at him, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

“I’m going up to see when they plan to set sail,” Hiccup told her, grabbing his knife and sticking in his belt, just to be safe.

Astrid nodded. “Do you want any dinner?”

“Nah,” Hiccup shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Astrid forced a smile as Hiccup left the room. Not hungry? He had to be hungry. He hadn’t eaten all day! That always been something she worried about. She hardly ever saw Hiccup eat. No one did. Before Berk trained dragons, it had been a strong rumor among the teens that Hiccup purposely staved himself. Astrid had never paid attention to the most likely false gossip, but as she started to pay attention, she noticed how rarely Hiccup consumed any food. Why, she’d seen him refuse food more times than she’d actually seen him eat any!   

He seemed to eat more these days, but not nearly as much as Snotlout or Fishlegs. _She_ probably ate more than he did! The time she’d almost had to force feed him came to mind. He went for two days without any food or water, and then passed out in the clubhouse during a meeting. He claimed he “just forgot to eat” but the skeptical look from Toothless made his story rather unbelievable.

Even though the others were practically begging him to stop working so hard and eat something, but he refused to stop until they had finished the lower defenses of the base. Astrid had finally pinned him to the wall, held a knife to his throat, gave him a piece of bread and told him to eat it or die.

That was a bad habit of Hiccup’s—working himself half to death. He always felt like he had to do more even when he was so fatigued he was about to drop. Over-working himself might not cause problems while he was young, but it would soon take its toll. Eventually his body would give out, and it might never recover. Astrid pursed her lips in worry.

But enough thinking. Hiccup had given her a chance to change her clothes, and she shouldn’t waste any more time. She set Kory down on the bed and opened her bag, pulling out her night dress. At the Edge, she would normally sleep in her clothes, minus boots and shoulder guards. Here, however, it felt good to sleep in something more comfortable.

She undressed and slipped the pale blue dress over her head. It was more of a summer nightgown, barely passing her knees and leaving her arms uncovered, but Astrid wore it year round. In the winter, it required several layers of fur to keep warm, but the fabric was soft and loose, perfect for sleeping in.

It felt so good to finally be out of her boots and leggings. The cool evening air felt good on her bare skin. She brushed her bangs out of her face, and felt how messy the rest of her hair was. With a sigh, she pulled out the leather band holding the end of her braid together and shook her hair loose. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders, and she relished the feeling. Astrid _loved_ to have her hair down. She combed her fingers through it, brushing out the tangles.

She started to put it back in its usual braid, but stopped. She hadn’t slept with her hair down in ages. Besides, she was starting to get a few fly-aways that came from always keeping her hair up. She blew out the lanterns and crawled into bed, realizing how long her hair had gotten. It was now even with her elbows!

She curled up next to Kory, who had already drifted off. Sleep came quickly, and she didn’t even hear Hiccup enter the room or come over and cover up her shoulders with an extra fur.


	7. The Hero

Astrid slowly became aware of dim light flickering in the cabin. She could hear the ship creaking, and the waves seemed to be larger. She wasn’t sure whether it was morning yet, but she assumed not because she was so tired. She felt Kory moving a little, so she opened her eyes, finding herself facing the wall, her back turned on the room. Kory was still sleeping, so Astrid closed her eyes again.

A low, pained groan came from behind her. She pried her eyes opened, and wearily glanced over her shoulder. Her sleepiness left her instantly as she caught sight of Hiccup.

He sat on the floor leaned up against the wall, his right knee bent. He propped his head up with his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. His other arm was wrapped around his stomach. He was wearing no shirt, and his skin was clammy and pale. He groaned again, this time quieter. He drew up his other knee and curled in on himself, running his fingers through his hair.

Astrid slid out of bed quietly, a fur still around her shoulders. She grabbed and extra one and approached Hiccup softly. He did not noticed her, and so rather than startle him with words, she draped the fur over his shoulders. He raised his head slowly and gazed up at her, his eyes dull with misery. “Did I wake you up?” He asked hoarsely, the words slurring a little.

Astrid sat beside him. “No,” she replied quietly. “The ship did. What’s wrong?”

“I’m sea-sick.”

“Oh. How long have you been up?”

“An hour. Maybe two.” He leaned his head back on the wall, eyes closed. “It’s always worse on big boats,” he mumbled.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Astrid asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You need to sleep.”

“You need someone to care for you more than I need sleep.”

He looked over at her, seemingly confused. “I’m just sea-sick. It’s not like I was just mortally wounded in battle and then came down with a life threatening infection.”

“I don’t care.” Astrid smiled gently. “Now, why don’t you have a bucket? I’ll care for you, but I’m _not_ a fan of cleaning puke off the floor.”

Hiccup smiled half-heartedly. “I don’t need one.”

 _Really?_ The look Astrid gave him said it loud and clear.

“Seriously, I haven’t eaten a single thing today.”

“I know. It’s a real problem.”

“No, it’s not. I knew I would end up getting sea-sick, so I didn’t eat.”

Astrid’s hard gaze softened. “Why didn’t you tell me? I was worried because you hadn’t eaten!”

Hiccup heaved before answering. “I don’t know.”

Astrid wrapped her arm around his back. “Hey,” she cupped his face with her hand and forced him to look at her. “You can talk to me. If you had told me earlier, you wouldn’t’ have had to sit here by yourself for so long. We have to rely on each other. We don’t have anyone else. So, with that said, I don’t care whether you like it or not, I will be staying up with you.”

Hiccup smiled in reply, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Astrid’s heart swelled with compassion. He looked so pitiful. She tried to think of what she could do, but she had no herbs or anything to help soothe his stomach. His head drooped in exhaustion. Astrid brushed the hair out of his face, her fingers briefly touching his forehead. He seemed warmer than usual, so she pressed her palm to the skin under his bangs.

“You’re pretty hot,” she informed him, feeling the back of his neck.

“Thank you,” he muttered, still managing to keep his voice somewhat lighthearted.

Astrid fought the urge to hit him, but since he was already feeling so terrible she settled for flicking the back of his head. “You know what I meant, and I’m pretty sure you have a fever.”

Hiccup shrugged. “So?”

“So, fevers aren’t normally a good thing. Right now it’s just giving you chills.”

“You can say that again.” He shivered.

Astrid pulled the fur closer around him, and wiped away the beads of sweat that were clinging to his brow. He seemed to relax a little. She pulled him closer so that he could lean on her. He retched weakly a few times, but brought nothing up.

“You can’t be very comfortable on the floor,” she said, “why don’t you go lie down?”

“It’s worse up there,” Hiccup replied, “that’s why I’m down here.”

“How about you sleep in my bunk? I don’t plan on going back to bed.”

Hiccup shrugged. He felt so miserable he no longer cared.

Astrid stood up and offered him a hand, which her shakily took. His hand was so clammy in hers. He stumbled as he walked to her bunk, nausea clawing at his stomach. Dizziness swept around him, and he quickly put out his hand to try and steady himself. Astrid grabbed a hold of him, and without meaning to, he leaned on her to support himself.

She helped him sit on the edge of the bunk, and moved Kory out of the way so he could lie down. Against his protests, she set a bucket beside him “just in case.” She sat down cross-legged on the bunk above his head, and leaned into the corner, the baby in her lap. The ship suddenly tilted, causing Hiccup to groan. The _Icelord_ tipped in the opposite direction.

“Oh, gods,” Hiccup moaned, pulling himself up to the side of the bunk to lean over the bucket, suddenly thinking he might just be able to bring something up. His stomach clenched, forcing air out of his lungs and a thin bile to climb up his throat. He swallowed and managed keep it down.

Astrid placed a cool, gentle hand on his back. Her touch was so soothing. Just to know that she cared was enough, but she was actually worried about him. He retched again, his abdomen protesting in pain at the sharp movement. He lay his head down on his arm, closing his eyes and tried to think of something other than his overwhelming nausea.

He wished Astrid would start talking again. Her voice gave him something to focus on besides the never-ending creaking of the ship. His stomach twisted over again to make him gag. His insides seemed to slosh around, bringing dizziness and doubling his urge to retch. How had he ever been this stupid to agree to sea travel? He knew he got sea-sick _every single solitary_ time he stepped foot on a ship. What had possessed him to go?

He knew, though. He hadn’t wanted Astrid to go alone. And she would have gone alone had he not volunteered. He’d wanted to protect her. Some protection he’d provide now! He could hardly move without trying to heave up his stomach. Astrid would have to protect _him_ if something happened.

Why did it pain him so much to admit that? He had always relied on Astrid. (Well, not exactly always.) She always had his back, but this was the first time he couldn’t, genuinely _couldn’t,_ have hers. That hurt his pride. He was lying there practically helpless, on the verge of puking (that _certainly_ didn’t help) and Astrid had to pity him. He didn’t wish it was the other way around, but he might have some dignity by the end of it.

The truth was it _mortified_ him to think that he was weak and helpless and relying entirely on his life-long crush. Fine, he would at least admit to that. He just wouldn’t admit it to Astrid.

When she had been sobbing in his arms, that had given him a sense of…he honestly wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe he had felt like he was protecting her. That just didn’t fit, though. He thought about asking his father, but he did _not_ want the teasing that would come with it. His father knew very well that Hiccup wished Astrid was more than a friend, and teased him relentlessly. Especially after Astrid had gotten a new outfit, one that enunciated her curves a bit more thoroughly.

She had come over to drop off…something. He couldn’t even remember what it was. Hiccup had been rather… _surprised_ … by her new appearance and found himself stuttering over every word he tried to say. And to top it all off, his voice had cracked—badly. Astrid had given him a slightly confused smile and left, leaving Stoick alone to torment his son with constant teasing. That would forever be lodged in Hiccup’s brain, one of most embarrassing moments of his life.

But even that did not compare with the present. He was glad the flush in his cheeks prevented Astrid from seeing the _blush_ that burned under his skin. There was probably nothing that showed more weakness and perfect wimpiness than sea-sickness. And yet, dare he believe it, it was almost as if she didn’t actually care… What was he thinking? Of course she cared! She was only pitying him because there was no one else around to do it. He had to get his imagination under control—thinking Astrid didn’t care that he was a wimp. Ha!

“Hiccup?” Astrid whispered.

“Hmm.”

“Oh, I thought maybe you had fallen asleep.”

“I wish I could.”

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Keep talking.”

“O-okay,” Astrid seemed a little unsure. “About what?”

“Anything. I don’t care. Something interesting.”

“Like a story?”

“That works.”

“I not very good at stories, and I don’t really know any good ones. Besides, you’ve probably heard all the stories I know.”

“Tell it to Kory, then. He doesn’t know any.”

“Well,” Astrid shifted around to make herself comfortable. “There was once a boy, and he wasn’t very good at anything. Or at least, that’s what people told him. They teased him relentlessly, and he started to believe them. They said he was good for nothing and strange. He was an outcast among his people. For the longest time he tried to stay out of the way, but only managed to cause more trouble.

“Soon his people went to war. He wanted to fight as well, but no one would let him, being cursed with bad luck as he was. That did not stop him, though. He was the most stubborn person you could ever meet, though he couldn’t do much of anything. He was determined to prove his worth.

“But one day, and only he and Thor knows how it happened, he met the enemy. He was alone, and he couldn’t kill the enemy. He just didn’t have the guts to do it. He just wouldn’t kill that enemy.

“As time passed on, he became friends with the enemy that he wouldn’t kill. He found that that enemy was really no enemy at all. He found out who his people were truly fighting. And in order to save his people, that useless, no good, runt offered his life. His people realized that he was not what they had always believed he was. He was a hero. Only one had always known there was something special about him, but it was too late to tell him.

“Everyone could not believe what they had done. The hero had saved them all, and they had only scoffed at and mocked him. They had broken him, made him feel worthless. And the one who had known what he could be was no better than all the rest. Her conscience had been silenced so that she mocked the hero also.

“Bitter regret had overcome all present at their hero’s grave. Many tears were shed, even from the eyes of the ones who had mocked him most. There was one, who had always doubted him, knelt in front of the hero, begging for forgiveness. All seemed to be lost.

“And then a miracle happened. The enemy showed all present that their hero was still alive. His people were so happy they could hardly contain themselves. They had the chance to thank him for what he had done. To apologize for what they had done. The tears suddenly became happy ones, and they brought their hero home and nursed him back to health. All memories of the great war were tucked away and never brought to mind.

“The hero, however, would never be allowed to forget that great battle, and some understood that he could not. Other’s never gave it a second thought, but the one who had seen him as more often saw pain in his eyes, showing the memory of that war and the mockery he had received. But most of all, the hero had earned a scar, one of great suffering. From that war onwards, the hero beloved by many, was partly steel.”

Astrid drew in a long breath as she finished her story, glancing at Hiccup. He gazed back at her, tears filling his green eyes. She couldn’t tell what exactly his face portrayed, but the sad smile that caused his eyes to sparkle must have meant he was not upset. What had made him cry? She dearly hoped she had not offended him in some way. She had told a very delicate story.

More tears filled his eyes and slid down his cheeks. He seemed strangely happy, though. He brushed off his cheeks and looked her straight in the eyes. “Astrid,” he began shakily, “what is that story called?”

Astrid smiled and cupped his rosy cheek in her hand, gently wiping away the few remaining tears with her thumb. Her eyes watered and a solitary tear slipped down her own cheek as she replied: “The Story of My Hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think? This chapter is probably my favorite so far! :)


	8. Rummy's Inn

The weeks aboard the _Icelord_ passed slowly, and the northern climate began to take its toll on the three travelers. Kory came down with a mild cold that kept him up crying for a few nights.  He was restless in the cabin, but it was far too cold and dangerous to take him up the deck. Astrid was weary from travel and caring for Kory, and sometimes Hiccup too. His sea –sickness would ebb briefly, but never gave him much rest.

Astrid nearly had to force food down his throat. She let him go without food when he felt particularly bad, but for any other time, there was no excuse. She would admit that she felt rather guilty whenever he brought it back up, but she would _not_ be responsible for letting him starve himself.

But finally, after three long weeks of sea travel, the ship reached the port. They were quick to leave their cabin prison, excited to be almost finished with the long journey. Hiccup perked up considerably as they walked around the market place in the small, secluded, sea port. He was soon the spunky, sarcastic Hiccup that he normally was.

They found only a limited supply of yak milk, perhaps only enough to last a few days, but they bought it anyway. Someone was selling furs for a reasonably cheap price, and the two eagerly added them to their possessions. Hiccup went to look for passage to Iceland, and Astrid stayed in the marketplace beside a bread vender’s booth.

The owner, an old woman covered in warts, soon noticed the girl lingering. It seemed odd that someone quite as young as her would have a baby, and would be so foolish as to travel north with a child so young.

“How are ye, lil’ lass?” the woman greeted, catching Astrid by surprise.

“Hello,” Astrid replied cautiously, subconsciously clutching Kory tighter.

“Ye looked chilled, lass. Come by my fire. I won’t bite.”

Astrid was skeptical, but she didn’t want Kory to get to cold, so she took the woman’s offer. Besides, why would the old bread seller want to hurt her?

“Thank you,” Astrid said graciously, sitting down to allow more heat to reach the baby in her arms.

“Ye are more than welcome, lass. This northern weather can freeze a man solid, I tell ye. Now, what’s a pretty little lass like ye doin’ up ‘ere?”

“I’m traveling to see my parents,” Astrid said, choosing her words carefully.

“Pardon me sayin’ this, but ye seem a tad young for a baby.”

“It’s custom to get married younger in my village.”

“Ah. Ye are travlin’ with ye’re ‘usband, I should hope?”

“Yes.”

“Good, lass. These parts ain’t safe for a lovely lass like ye.”

“I know from experience.”

“Two of my children were fathered by strange men. Would’ve been more if I hadn’t found a way to scare those scum of men off. Ye ever get caught lass, ye tell ‘em ye are due to have another man’s baby. Not sure what it is that makes ‘em leave, but it works.”

Astrid smiled awkwardly. The woman might be safe, but she certainly wasn’t pleasant company. She sat and listened politely as the woman went on and on about the dangers of living near a sea port. She shared several details Astrid did _not_ care to hear, and no matter how long she went on she always more to tell. Astrid finally excused herself, saying she needed to find her husband. (She blushed deeply as she said the word.)

She found him, or rather he found her, near a large inn.

“Good news,” he smiled. “I talked to some of the sailors, and the Sadari island is only a few hours by ship away! There is bad news, though. The boat leaving for the island isn’t setting out until tomorrow.”

“That’s not the worst news you could have had,” Astrid pointed out. “I mean, we are standing right in front of a place to stay.”

Hiccup glanced up at the in a chuckled. “I guess you’re right. Let’s see if they have any room.” He walked ahead and opened the door for Astrid and Kory. Warmth surrounded them as soon as they stepped through the entrance.

“Welcome! Welcome!” They were suddenly greeted by the shortest man either of them had ever seen. Though he was clearly an adult, he barely came up to Hiccup’s waist. “The name’s Mondrell, but nobody in their right mind would call me that. ‘Round here most folks call me Rummy, and that’s what you’ll call me too.

“Now if you’re like most folks you came in here lookin’ for a place to spend the night. And that’s just what I’m sure you plan to do. I charge 15 sceattas a night but that includes the best food you’ll ever eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with as many mugs as you can stomach of the finest rum you can find. I’ll see to it that the both of you are good and drunk before you leave, yes sir, that’s why they call me Rummy.”

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a glance. “Well, I can tell you that neither of us plan on getting drunk,” Hiccup began, “but we do need a place to stay.”

“I suppose if you don’t want the rum I can take off 5 sceattas. I aim to please!”

“Oh,” Hiccup said, somewhat surprised. “That would be great.”

“You’ll take it, wonderful! I’ll show you to a room!” He started to lead them down a hall, but stuck his head into a back room. “Nanni!” he shouted. “Come greet out guests!”

The shortest, and also plumpest, woman either of them had ever seen emerged, wiping her hands on her apron. Her unruly dark brown hair was piled on top of her head, and there was a flour smear across her cheek. She burst into smiles at the sight of the two, showing off her dimples proudly. “Oh!” she bubbled. “Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! You look half frozen, I’ll put on some tea. And don’t you have the cutest little baby!” She stood up on her tip-toes to see Kory better. “My goodness! Such _tremendous_ cheeks you have! Absolutely adorable! And don’t you look so much like your daddy!”

Astrid tried not to smirk as Hiccup flushed red.

“Go on, Rummy, get them to a room! I’ll have supper ready within minutes!” Nanni tapped Kory’s nose lovingly and padded back into the kitchen.

Rummy led them down the hall and opened a door, showing them a well furnished room with a fire blazing in the fire place. Rummy smiled proudly as he noticed the two were pleased. “Let me know if you need anything! Supper will be soon, and Nanni won’t be too happy if you’re late!” Rummy grinned from ear to ear and left the room.    

“Only one bed again.” Hiccup chuckled at their luck. They unpacked the few things they needed and left the room for dinner.

A delicious smell greeted them as they entered the dining room, already full of guests, mostly sailors and no other women. Rummy seated them and soon Nanni was dishing out a scrumptious yak meat casserole with creamy sauce and cooked vegetables. Soup and buttery rolls followed, and then cherry, apple, and some other kind of pie for dessert. It soon became clear that Nanni wanted everyone to be as plump as she was, or at least she seemed to feed them in that mind set.

When everyone had eaten more than enough, Rummy started to pour out the tankards of rum and beer and whiskey. Astrid sat uncomfortably watching the men down mug after mug of rum, and it didn’t really help that Hiccup decided to play a game of Maces and Talons with one of the other guests.

Astrid glanced up as Nanni touched her shoulder, calling her into the kitchen with a wave of her hand. Astrid followed her, grateful to leave the noisy dining hall behind. The kitchen was surprisingly quiet when Nanni closed the door.

“I didn’t get the impression you were enjoying yourself,” Nanni began, handing Astrid a mug of hot tea.

“Thank you,” Astrid took the tea with a smile, adjusting Kory so he could sit on her knee. “And no, I wasn’t.”

“Men are wild when they’re truly having fun. I used to think they matured at some point in life. They don’t. They simply learn to act mature for a while, and then they go out with their buddies and act like eight-year-olds again.” Nanni began to clean off the counters, putting away bins of flour and sugar and throwing away left over pieces of food.

“I’m just glad Hic- Ander is getting a chance to enjoy himself. He hates sea travel. The last few weeks have been hard on him. It’s been hard for all of us.” Astrid set her tea aside, and sat Kory on the table in front of her.

Nanni brought over a bottle of warm milk. “I’ll bet the little one is hungry,” she said with smile, ruffling Kory’s hair with her pudgy fingers.

“Thank you,” Astrid said again. “I was going to feed him later, but he’s probably hungry now.”

“Yes, how do you feed him?” Nanni asked, sounding curious.

“Um, how many ways are there to feed a baby? I nurse him, of course.” Astrid looked to Nanni, confused.

Nanni smiled gently and pulled out a chair from the table, sitting down beside her. “Love, I know he’s not your child.”

“How?” Astrid gasped. She then realized she had just blown her and Hiccup’s cover, big time. Even if Nanni hadn’t actually known before, she sure did now.

Nanni just smiled. “I could just see that he was too different from you and your husband. Is he even your husband?”

“No,” Astrid admitted, mentally kicking herself. She was endangering all three of them. But something told her Nanni could be trusted.

“Who is he? If you are not married to him, then how is it that you’ve traveled all the way here un-chaperoned?”

“He’s just a friend.” She didn’t want to answer the un-chaperoned part.

“What are your names? And I mean your real names. I know the fake ones.”

“I’m Astrid, and Ander’s real name is Hiccup. Kory is still Kory. We found him abandoned on an island. He needs to be returned to the Sadari people. We were trying to get him home. The best way to avoid Hunters seemed to be to pretend we were married, and Kory was our baby. I guess you’re too smart for that, though. But please Nanni, if you’re going to tell anyone who we are, just wait until we get Kory back to his family!”

Nanni looked appalled. “Oh, Child! I would never tell. You’re lives might be endangered. No, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. However, I don’t keep any secrets from my husband. But you can trust Rummy. He would never let you get into harm’s way.”

Astrid smiled her genuine thanks. “Thank you, Nanni.”

The older woman hugged her comfortingly. “If you ever need help, love, come here. The back door is always open.”

Kory started to fuss tiredly, and Astrid realized how late it had gotten. She bid Nanni good night and left the kitchen. She told Hiccup she was putting Kory to bed, but he was so heavily focused on his game he simply mumbled an acknowledgement and moved his Chief away from the threatening piece.

Astrid put Kory to bed, tucking him into the makeshift crib that Rummy had brought for them. She then started to fill the large metal tub with water, letting it sit next to the fire for some time before undressing and getting in. She closed her eyes and sank deeper into the blissfully warm water. It would be frigidly cold when she got out, but for now, the cold seemed worth it.

She would have liked to stay soaking in the tub all night, but Hiccup would show up sooner or later, and she didn’t want to have to scramble to get dried and dressed. She glanced at the door. Hiccup hadn’t seemed even close to finishing his game, and when he did, whoever lost would most likely demand a re-match.

She decided she could afford to sit in the tub just a little longer, and hardly felt herself drifting off to sleep…


	9. Too Beautiful to be a Viking

Hiccup walked back to his room, still celebrating his three wins in Maces and Talons. He had always been disappointed when his father had beaten him, but Stoick was probably the best player in the archipelago. He knocked on the door incase Astrid was changing. The memory of almost walking in on her changing in her hideout at the Edge jumped into his mind. He could only be thankful that Astrid noticed the door opening and told him to stay out. (Well, she had screamed “Don’t you know how to knock?!” which basically meant “I’m changing, keep out.”)

He didn’t hear Astrid reply, but just to be sure, he knocked again. She must have fallen asleep again, which was good, because then he could change without having to send her out or dress underneath the covers of the bed. They both had to do that once, when the _Icelord’s_ captain told them they were to under no circumstances leave their cabin during a storm.

He opened the door as quietly as he could, so as not wake Astrid and Kory. He stepped through, but his peg-leg hit the threshold of the door and he stumbled forward. He tried not to end up sprawled on the floor by grabbing the back of a wooden chair. The chair tipped and both Viking and chair hit the floor with a thud.

A blood curdling scream scared Hiccup half to death, and he looked up to see where it came from.

Astrid was crouched down in a tub in front of the fireplace, screaming like bloody murder. “GET OUT OF HERE YOU MORON!!!” she shrieked. “GET OUT!!”

Hiccup, momentarily shocked from falling on the floor and finding out that Astrid was _not_ in bed asleep, finally came to his senses and scrambled out the door awkwardly. He shut it thoroughly behind him, shell-shocked from what had just happened. So much for trying not to walk in on her.

The door to the room opened suddenly, and Astrid threw his night clothes on the ground, shutting and locking the door. He picked them up and started to look for a place to change.

When he returned to the room, he knocked _very_ loudly, and muffled footsteps approached the door. It opened slowly, and Astrid peaked out expectantly. He stood for a minute, half expecting her to slam the door in his face.

“Well, come in,” she told him, opening the door wider.

“Look, I’m really sorry,” Hiccup started, stepping into the room. “You didn’t answer when I knocked, so I thought you were asleep.”

“I was,” Astrid smiled sheepishly.

“In the tub?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a nervous laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done it too.” Hiccup chuckled. “I almost drowned. My dad pulled me out.”

“Your dad saved you from drowning in a bath tub?”

“I was ten at the time, and then I would have said it was the most embarrassing moment of my life.”

“I think I might’ve just had mine,” Astrid said, blushing and picking up the now wide awake Kory.

“I’m sooo sorry,” Hiccup apologized again, sitting down on the bed rubbing his neck. “I really did not mean for that to happen. I tried to make sure it didn’t.”

“It’s okay,” Astrid said honestly, sitting down in a big arm chair. “You didn’t see anything did you?”

“No,” Hiccup shook his head. “I briefly saw your shoulders, but that’s it.”

“Good.” Astrid looked relieved. “That’s all you need to see.”

“I agree.”

“You better!” Astrid smiled and set Kory back in his crib. She walked around the bed and lifted the covers, sliding under them easily. A shiver ran through her. “Hey,” she started, “Could you hand me that extra fur on the chair over there? I’m freezing.”

“Sure.” Hiccup stood up and walked over to the fur, grabbing it and bringing it back to Astrid.

“Thanks,” she reaching out and taking it from him.

“You’re welcome.” He found another fur and lay down on the bed beside her, on top of the covers of course. A sleepy quiet flooded the room, and the two were almost asleep when it started. It wasn’t much at first, but it escalated to a point at which there was no possible way to ignore it. The two tossed and turned, hoping to block it out.

Kory was crying.

The two shared a glance, telling the other to leave him alone in the hopes that he would fall back asleep. He didn’t. He cried and cried, sounding more and more pitiful with every sob. Astrid finally got out of bed and picked him up, yet still, the crying did not subside. She walked around the room, patting him and rubbing him and rocking him and doing anything she could think of. Nothing seemed to help.

Hiccup finally took the baby from her so that she could rest. She fell on the bed, exhaustion clinging to her like 70 lb. weights. She so desperately wanted to sleep, but with Kory causing so much noise it was impossible. She lay there for some time, but it gained her nothing.

“I am never having kids,” she mumbled sleepily, taking the baby back from Hiccup. He smiled wearily and sat down in a chair.

Another whole hour passed by of solid crying, and Astrid was running out of energy. Soon she was going to fall asleep, standing or not. Her arm was beginning to go numb, so she shifted the baby around to cradle him against her chest. For just a moment Kory quieted.

“Do whatever you just did again,” Hiccup told her, “he stopped crying for a second.”

Astrid tried to shift him around again, but it didn’t make a difference. Kory nuzzled her chest, sobbing with all his might. Then it hit her.

She quickly sat down on the bed, arranging a pillow in her lap, and she rested the baby on it. “Turn around for a second,” she told Hiccup, rather loudly due to the noise. When his back was safely turned, she pulled off her shirt and undid her breast bindings. She lifted the baby’s head up to her chest, offering a place to nurse. He latched onto her eagerly, and the crying ceased.

“What did you do?” Hiccup asked, almost turning around.

“A trick my mom told me about,” Astrid answered, arranging a fur to cover her bare chest and the baby. “You can turn around now.”

Hiccup turned and looked at her curiously, then realized what she had done. “That isn’t going to work,” he said skeptically. “It won’t take him long to realize he’s not getting any milk.”

“He’s not nursing because he’s hungry,” she replied smartly and leaned back against the headboard, placing a hand on the fur to keep it from slipping down. “He’s seeking comfort.”

“What?”

“Babies are comforted when they nurse. Even if they aren’t hungry, they want to nurse to feel…secure, I guess.”

“What if he is hungry?” Hiccup flopped down next to her, his head at the base of the bed.

“I don’t think he is. He isn’t really suckling.”

“I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.”

Astrid thought a moment. “Have you ever let a baby yak suck on your fingers?”

“A few times.”

“Well, they way that the sort of pull on you with their tongue is suckling. When babies suckle, it means they are trying to get food. Kory isn’t suckling. He’s just sort of…mouthing.”

Hiccup cracked up laughing. “Do have any idea how weird that sounds?”

“What did I just say that could be classified as weird?”

“Think about that sentence. He’s ‘mouthing’ you. Doesn’t that just sound wrong?”

“Oh.” Realization dawned in her face. “That does sound wrong. That wasn’t how I meant it, though.”

“I know that wasn’t how you meant it, but it’s still pretty funny.”

The two sat quietly for a while. “It seems so foreign,” Astrid murmured finally.

“What does?”

“I’m nursing a baby. I don’t know why, but it feels so strange to think about it.”

“Well, it’s something you’ve never done before. And he isn’t your baby.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Astrid lifted the fur just enough to take a peek at the baby. His eyes were closed, and he was nursing only half-heartedly. His cheeks were splotchy from crying for so long, but he seemed to finally be content. “I’m going to miss him so much,” she said quietly, glancing up with a sorrowful gaze.

Hiccup nodded, sharing the same sad expression. Dare he say it, he had grown to love Kory as well. There had been so many bad moments while they had travelled, but the good ones were worth it. He wanted the good ones to last forever. And then there were the bad moments that had turned out good. Being sea-sick was not nearly as bad when Astrid was stroking his hair and singing softly. It may have been hard to watch her cry, but the way she had snuggled into him had satisfied his instinct to protect her.

He glanced back at Astrid and Kory, smiling as Astrid gazed down lovingly at the baby in her arms. He could only see Kory’s shape beneath the fur, but the baby seemed to be calm and peaceful. He fought the sudden, overwhelming desire to throw his arms around both of them. For one thing, Astrid wasn’t wearing a shirt, and for another, he had no right to do it in the first place.

Astrid suddenly “pst” him, whispering for him to turn around again. He figured she was dressing again, so he more than willingly turned onto his stomach so that he faced away from her. She did not give him permission to turn around, but she walked past him to put Kory back in his crib, fully dressed. He sat up and turned so that he could sleep with his feet at the right end of the bed.

Astrid set another log on the fire before climbing back underneath the covers. “Its freezing in here,” she muttered, hugging the furs tighter around her shoulders.

“No kidding,” Hiccup replied, trying to find a comfortable position. “ _I’m_ even cold.”

Astrid turned and looked at him seriously. “If you’re that cold, you can sleep under the covers.”

Hiccup shrugged. “I’ll be okay.”

“No, really. If you’re cold, get under the covers. I trust you.”

Pride swelled in his chest. She _trusted_ him. He smiled gratefully and slipped underneath the covers, making sure to leave a generous gap between them. It was much warmer under the covers, and he was beyond thankful that Astrid had let him escape the frigid air in the room. It honestly surprised him that she would even let him sleep on the bed, let alone _in_ it, after what had happened earlier. She must really believe it was entirely an accident. And for that he was glad.

He could hear her even breathing, indicating she had probably fallen asleep. He turned over so that he could see her. She looked so peaceful. He studied her, tracing the contouring of her face with his eyes. He loved her eyes. The image of her sapphire eyes, framed with thick, dark lashes, invaded his mind, causing his breath to catch. Her lips were full and pink, and even though they were relaxed, she almost appeared to be smiling. Her high cheek bones complimented the rest of her face perfectly, and flattering her small, slightly turned-up nose.

Her bangs half covered her right eye, filling him with a longing to brush them aside. She was not wearing her leather iron studded headband, and her hair was not pulled back in its usual braid. Thick, glossy, blond waves rested on her shoulders, still damp. Hiccup remembered how silky it had felt against his cheek when her had rested his head on hers, allowing her to have her tears.  Eyes as beautiful as Astrid’s should never shed tears.

The truth was, Astrid was simply too beautiful to be a Viking. She should be a princess in a Fairytale, rescued by a prince to live happily ever after. However, it was likely that Astrid would do more rescuing than the prince. She would probably fight off the evil villain and rub it in Prince Charming’s face.

That was Astrid, too beautiful to be a Viking, too feisty to be a princess. She was too kind to be a killer, and to fierce to be a lover. She was too reliant to be on her own, yet too independent to ever be his.


	10. Home

Someone was shaking her shoulders. The air was cold. Sleep felt like an old blanket, warm and comfortable. She groaned and tried to ignore the shaking.

“C’mon, Astrid. Wake up. We need to leave.”

 _Hiccup. Kory. The inn. Leaving in the morning._ Her mind sleepily tried to process the few memories that had come to her.

“Please Astrid, wake up! The ship leaves in fifteen minutes!”

Astrid forced her heavy eyelids to separate. The room was dark. She rolled over and stared at Hiccup, fully dressed and standing over her. “The sun’s not up,” she said dryly. “I don’t get up before the sun.”

“You do now,” Hiccup told her. “We have to go.”

“I am not getting up.” She closed her eyes and covered her head up with the blankets.

“Yes, you are.” Hiccup pulled the covers back down.

“No.” She tried to pulled the covers back, but he was suddenly too strong for her. “Fine,” she grumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Hiccup walked away and started to pack up their bags. Astrid needed to change her clothes, but there was no time to ask Hiccup to go out. With no other choice, she told him to under no circumstances turn around, and dressed in a dark corner of the room.

She was beginning to wake up at last, though she still felt like grumpy and lethargic. She didn’t want to act that way. Hiccup didn’t deserve to put up with her. He’d had as little sleep as she had, if not less. They gathered the last of their bags and finally picked up Kory. Nanni and Rummy wished them well at the door, the woman loading them up with a breakfast big enough to provide for lunch and dinner, too.

“So,” Astrid huffed as they wandered though the freshly fallen snow toward the docks. “Why are we leaving so early?”

“Because of last night’s storm,” he replied, pausing to clean the snow off his prosthetic. “They trip will take longer because they now have to watch out for ice.”

“Fantastic.”

“We should still get their by mid afternoon.”

The port was surprisingly busy, lanterns lighting up the dark morning. Hiccup found their ship easily, and before long, the trio was on the final leg of their journey. They devoured Nanni’s breakfast, which was beyond delicious. They were aboard a two level ship, and even sitting huddled together in the hold they were still cold.

Astrid slept for another hour, her head laid on Hiccup’s shoulder and Kory resting in her lap. They sat relatively unnoticed for quite some time. Neither of them had much to say, and though they would not admit to it, both were already missing Kory.

He was now a part of them, and it would be nearly impossible to let him go. Astrid sat in the corner, stroking Kory’s shaggy auburn hair and tracing every feature of his face. The longer she gazed at every inch of his pure cuteness, the more she longed to keep him forever.  

Hiccup had been on the deck talking with some of the other men, but presently returned and sat down beside her. “Why the long face?” he asked, trying to sound cheerful.

She looked over to him, tears threatening to spill. She tried to blink them away, but it only caused a few to escape and slide down her cheeks. “I know is sounds selfish,” she began softly, her voice wavering, “but I don’t want to give him back to his parents. I want to keep him forever. I…I love him.”

Hiccup smiled gently and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I love him, too. But he isn’t mine, and he’s not yours either. No matter how hard it may be, we have to get him back to his real family.”

Astrid smiled back and wiped her eyes, inwardly ashamed. When had she become such a tearful person? Maybe it was bad for her to be around Kory. Maybe he made her want to cry more. No, it couldn’t be him. He was such a happy baby, and it was the thought of losing his precious giggle brought tears.

She fed Kory again while eating some leftovers from breakfast herself. A cry from the deck announced that the island was in sight. She and Hiccup gathered their bags together and waited on the deck as the ship was anchored. Soon they stood on shore gazing at the village in front of them.

It felt so _bizarre._ After four long weeks of traveling, they were really truly standing on the shores of the Sadari Island. Seal and whale meat hung from large poles. Skins were being scrapped and dried, meat was cleaned and diced, and it seemed that everyone Viking was doing something.

“How are we going to find Kory’s parents?” Astrid asked quietly. “There are so many people.”

“I guess we ask around.”

Astrid made her way toward a young woman around her age scrapping a fur. A thick black braid hung down her back, so long it reached her hips.

“Excuse me!” Astrid called to her. “I need some help finding someone!”

The girl looked up, her brown eyes taking in the other young woman in front of her. “I can help you,” she replied.

“Oh, good,” Astrid said with a relieved smile. “I’m trying to return this baby to his parents.” She held Kory where the girl could see him. “We found him on an island very far south from here. It seemed that…” Astrid trailed off. The girl stood open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

“Come with me.” She grabbed Astrid’s arm and pulled her along rather roughly. Hiccup noticed and jogged over, assuming that they were headed in the right direction.

The girl led them quickly to the largest hut in the village, barging through the door and shouting: “Jorunn! Jorunn, come quickly!”  

A fairly large woman ambled into the room. She smiled, but did it did not seem very genuine. “Can I help you?” she asked. The black haired girl left the room and hurried back to work.

“I believe you might be able to tell us who’s baby this is,” Hiccup said as Astrid handed her the squirming bundle of fur. Jorunn took the baby from her and pulled aside the fur surrounding Kory’s head. Recognition flooded across her face, and the woman burst into tears, clutching the baby tenderly.

“Oh, my sweet baby,” she cried, rocking him back and forth. “My sweet, sweet baby! I thought I’d never see you again!”

Hiccup and Astrid shared a happy glance, both realizing that the journey had been worth every ounce of trouble they’d had. To be the witnesses of the most wonderful reunion of mother and baby was far worth what they had endured.

Kory cooed happily, grabbing a few strands of his mother’s hair in his chubby fingers. Jorunn looked up at Hiccup and Astrid smiling radiantly despite the tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.

It was hard to believe that two little one-syllable words could mean so much, but it warmed the two riders down to their very core. Just to know that Kory was home, with his mother, made everything worth it.

“How did you find him?” Jorunn asked, finally beginning to control her tears.

“We were exploring,” Astrid started, “and we came across you’re summer island. I heard crying, so we went and investigated. We found the village, or what was left of it, and Kory was in of the houses.”

“Kory?”

“Oh, that’s just what we called him. What’s his real name?”

The woman laughed. “We don’t name out babies until we have a personality identified in them. Supposedly. We really just give them a naming ceremony on their first birthday. My baby, Kory, as you call him, is only six months old. He has not yet been named. However, I rather like the name Kory. It suits him very well. You may very well have just named him! Now, pray tell, who are the two of you?”

Astrid glanced at Hiccup for approval before sharing any information. He nodded. “Astrid Hofferson,” she said, reaching out to shake the woman’s hand.

Hiccup stepped forward. “Hiccup Haddock.” He too shook her hand.

The woman looked thoughtful. “Haddock,” she repeated, thinking hard. “You’re Stoick the Vast’s son, aren’t you?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Ah, yes. Stoick. The only man alive how could intimidate my husband for six years. Until that cursed Ryker Grimborn came. He’s been bothering us for an at least a decade. When he raided our precious island, and we had no choice but to leave. We are not warriors. We are a peaceful people who mean no harm, but Ryker cannot see this. He seeks out trouble, and one of these days, he _will_ find it.”

“I’d like to give him some trouble,” Astrid blurted out. “He stole my dragon and forced her to produce spines for him. He needs to be stopped, but the real problem lies with his brother, Viggo.”

Jorunn looked confused. “I was not aware he had a brother.”

Hiccup nodded. “Viggo Grimborn is a mastermind. He can out-think your every move. Right now he is our biggest enemy. With his brains and Ryker’s brawn, we didn’t stand a chance in our last battle.”

Astrid gave him a sympathetic glance. She knew it was hard for Hiccup to think about losing the Dragon Eye, and what could happen to everyone once Viggo found a way to use it.

“Where in the world are my manners?!” Jorunn said suddenly. “I’ve just let you two stand there. Come. Please sit down.” She sat them at the table and passed Kory to Astrid while she prepared some hot tea. The baby seemed so happy to be home. He gurgled excitedly as he watched his mother move around the room.

 “I really cannot thank you enough,” Jorunn said, taking her son back. And sitting down. The two sipped their tea, glad for the warmth it provided. Berkian winters hardly compared with this Island’s summers. Even in the dead of Devastating Winter, it was still only slightly colder than where they were now.

“So, how did Kory end up on the island all by himself?” Astrid asked, glad she was finally able to get an answer to the question she had asked so many times.

Jorunn sighed sadly. “I have six children and one on the way. There are two sets of twins, and the oldest child is only eight. As one might think, I have my hands full. So when Ryker attacked our island, I hid the baby in the storage room while I found my other children. My husband, the chief, ordered an evacuation. Our people know nothing of war.

“Ryker chased our ships far north of our island. I never had a chance to go back for the baby. I pleaded with my husband to turn around and go back for him, but as chief, he had to look out for his village.

“I could not bear to return once we had been gone for several days. I couldn’t bring myself to return to find my child dead. It seemed best just to forget him and try to mother my other five children. There was no chance that he was still alive, so I didn’t hope. And then you two show up with my baby! Miracles really do happen!” Jorunn smiled, then pressed a kiss to her son’s forehead. “Well,” she started, standing up and passing Kory back to Astrid, “I need to get started on dinner. I insist that you stay. And no excuse is excepted in this household, so don’t try any.”

“At least let me help you,” Astrid said, handing Kory to Hiccup. “Hiccup can watch him.”

“Can you now?” Jorunn asked, obviously impressed. “Not all young men can handle a baby.”

“He’s got practice,” Astrid explained, walking toward the back room. “But believe me, neither of us were very good with babies until Kory came along.”

Hiccup scowled at Astrid, and followed her and the older woman into the kitchen. He stayed out of the conversation, most of it being cooking instructions anyway. Suddenly a large man came marching into the kitchen. “I came as soon as I heard,” he announced softly. “Is it true?”

Jorunn nodded and gestured to Hiccup and Kory. The man approached them warily, as though he still not believe it was really his baby. Hiccup passed the baby to his father. The man gazed at the baby, relief showing through the smile that lit up his face.”It really is him,” he said finally.

“Yes,” Jorunn beamed, “and we have these two fine young people to that for it. Tarben, this is Hiccup Haddock and Astrid Hofferson.”

Tarben glanced from one to the other. “Thank you,” he murmured sincerely. “Thank you.”

Jorunn walked over and wrapped her arms around her husband and son, gazing down at her baby lovingly.

Astrid reached over and squeezed Hiccup’s hand, giving him one of the happiest smiles he’d ever seen on her. He squeezed her back. They both knew it would be hard to leave the baby behind, but the reunion made everything worth it. They could be happy, because Kory was finally home.


	11. First Trust, Then Love

Supper in the Penerson home proved to be quite the affair. An eight year old, two six year olds, two four year olds, a two year old, and a six month old baby together create a _very_ loud and messy meal. The oldest, a little blond headed boy, Frey, wanted to do everything that Hiccup did. He wanted to sit next to him, arranged his food the exact same way Hiccup had, and even tried to eat with his left hand until his mother told him he was making too much of a mess.

Astrid had offered to feed two year old Evan, who made it clear that he was the squirmiest toddler on planet earth. The second set of twins, Thora and Finn, did more bickering than eating. They may proudly show four fingers when asked how old they were, but neither had outgrown the terrible twos yet. The older twins, Brenna and Eria, were identical and the only way Hiccup and Astrid could tell them apart was that Eria couldn’t hear. Brenna talked and talked, and poor Eria tried to follow the conversation by signing.

Both the little girls had fiery tempers, and when Eria felt like no one was paying attention to her, she would pound her fist on the table until someone acknowledged her. She finally settled down once Hiccup let her play with his compass, and for someone so feisty, she handled it very gently. Brenna was jealous and went into a pouty mood, which was not something that anyone would want to deal with.

“I _want_ it,” she said simply. “Now.”

Her mother repeatedly explained that she would have to wait her turn, but Brenna was not deterred. She sat at the table with a hideous scrunched up face and her arms folded. She consented to try and make everyone else as miserable as she thought she was.

Everyone helped to clean up from dinner, Brenna and Eria protesting _wholeheartedly._ Jorunn told Hiccup that he was not allowed to leave because this was the first time Frey had ever cleaned up without complaining.

Tarben and Hiccup took Frey, Finn, and Evan outside so that Kory could be put to be bed. The boys eagerly started Snowball fight, which was really more of a “Fistful-of-Snow” fight. Hiccup taught them all how to make the perfect snowball, and some of Frey’s turned out to be rather…well made. In other words, painfully solid.

The boy’s started a Snow-whale, leaving Tarben and Hiccup to talk. “You have a way with those boys,” Tarben said, leaving Hiccup to wonder whether it was praise or not.

“I just love Snowball fights,” Hiccup replied, stooping down to brush the snow of his prosthetic.

Tarben chuckled. “It’s more than that, son. You should be proud of the way Frey looks up to you. To him, you’re amazing. Which, for bringing my son home, you are. You father has done well with you, and from what I can see now, you will do well with your own children someday.”

“Thank you,” Hiccup smiled. He was about to say more, but Brenna’s shrill voice interrupted him.

“I’m going to help!” she announced, running out the door toward her brothers.

“Here we go,” her fathered sighed. “She’s a handful, that one. Blessed with my temper and her mother’s stubbornness. A lovely combination.”

Hiccup laughed.

. . .

Astrid sat in chair by the large window next to Jorunn. Thora was asleep in her lap, and Eria was braiding her hair, or attempting to, at least. Jorunn was mending some clothes, occasionally glancing up to check on her children playing outside.

“So,” Jorunn started, picking up another tunic to patch, “how old are you, Astrid?”

“Seventeen. Eighteen in a few months.”

“And still not married? I should think someone as beautiful as you should have been married long ago.” Jorunn looked surprised.

“Oh, well, people get married in their early twenties on Berk,” she told the woman, her cheeks burning. “Besides, I don’t have anyone that I desperately want to get married to.”

Jorunn shot her an amused glance. “No one?”

“No one that comes to mind.”

“Look out the window and tell me if anyone pops into your head.” Astrid knew exactly where Jorunn was going. Was it really that obvious that she liked him? She almost cringed.

“Do you mean Hiccup?”

“Yes. It’s very clear you’re attracted to him. And he’s by far the finest young man I’ve met in a very long time. It’s not every day that a young woman is comfortable enough around a male pier that she would travel for miles alone with him.”

 _This again?_ “Well, he’s given me no reason not to trust him. Besides, he’s partly steel.”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s just a little joke we have,” Astrid explained, wincing as Eria tugged just a little too hard. “I have a tendency to place my trust in a weapon. He has a tendency to come up with ridiculous plans. Whenever I think the plan won’t work, he’ll say ‘Just trust me. I’m part steel.’”

“Ah,” Jorunn breathed, nodding. “That makes sense. What happened to his leg? He seems rather young to be missing a limb. I was curious ever since you first arrived, but I didn’t want to ask him.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Astrid said softly. “It’s a very touchy topic for him. He lost his leg at fifteen.”

“My goodness! What happened?”

“It got bit off by dragon. Kind of. He was falling into a fire, and Toothless, his dragon, rescued him by grabbing his foot and pulling him out in time. We all thought they had died, but they both got out fine. Well, mostly.”

“I’ve heard that Berk trains dragons. It was rumored that the chief’s son tamed a Night Fury.”

“It’s true. Hiccup’s dragon is a Night Fury named Toothless. He’s not actually toothless, but he does have retractable teeth. I guess he forgot to bring them in when he grabbed Hiccup’s foot.”

“I can only imagine what it was like for him. It’s hard to get used to missing a limb. And very painful, for a leg especially. For quite a long time, every step is agony.”

Astrid nodded sadly. “His leg still hurts him sometimes. He never says anything, but I can tell. He’s always much quieter when it’s bothering him, and he’ll often sit with his leg extended so he doesn’t bare any weight on it. A few times it’s been worse than that. I found him in tears once; it was hurting him so bad. He said he was fine and would rather be left alone, so I did, but I really wish I hadn’t now. He needed someone to support him, he just didn’t see it.”

“Men are like that,” Jorunn sighed. “They don’t want anyone to see their pain, as if it is a weakness. They might be in pure agony, but they don’t want anyone to know. I don’t know why, and I probably won’t ever know. The best thing you can do is let them know that they can seek help from you, and occasionally you simply need to comfort them whether they like it or not.”

. . .

Hiccup shrugged, trying not to let Tarben see just how embarrassed he really was. “I don’t know,” he replied, attempting to sound natural. “I mean, she’s a great person, but I don’t think we’ll ever be a ‘thing.’”

Tarben threw him a sideways glance. “Well, I’m glad to know you can make a blatant lie seem believable. Now, what’s the honest answer?”

Hiccup was very tempted to just tell the older man it was none of his business, but it Tarben was at all like his father, that was practically signing his own death warrant. “I guess I’ve always had a bit of a crush on her,” he admitted, his cheeks burning.

Tarben laughed thoroughly. “A bit?”

“Fine. A lot.”

“I don’t blame you,” the man chuckled, patting his shoulder. “Astrid is a very beautiful young lady. She has a lot of trust in you. I find it very surprising that she would be willing to travel with you, for such a long distance.”

Hiccup sighed softly. “She didn’t trust me at first. Within the first few days of our trip, she broke down in tears basically saying that she wasn’t sure if she trusted me not to hurt her. It hurt me to think that I could have done something to…to make her nervous. She was taking it all out on herself, when it really should’ve been me. I’ve never felt so…stupid.”

“Aye,” Tarben nodded thoughtfully. “I can understand. I broke a woman’s heart once, I mistake I vowed never to make again. She did not deserve what happened. I told her I loved her, but I was young and foolish. I did not love anyone but myself. I regret everything I did. Make no mistake, I love my wife and I would not give her up for the world, but that other young woman could have been saved so much pain if I had not been so rash.”

He stopped and grasped Hiccup’s shoulder turning to look the young man straight in the eyes. “Never do anything to hurt a woman. Never promise her something you know that you cannot give. Never let her suffer on your account. And perhaps most importantly, never leave. My biggest mistake was simply not being there for her when she needed me. Be there for her, and she will always be there for you.”

Hiccup nodded, almost stunned. Though not sure why, he could tell that he had just been given some very, VERY important information. He swallowed. “I will.”

. . .

Astrid shifted Thora in her lap, trying to get feeling back in her arm. “Jorunn,” she began quietly, “How did you know Tarben was ‘the one?’”

Jorunn set down her mending. “I didn’t. Our marriage was arranged.”

“Oh. But the two of you seem so…I don’t know…close. You love each other so much.”

The older woman gave a small laugh. “Closeness does not mean love. Oh yes, I love my husband, but it was not always that way. We hated one another for a very long time. I did not trust him. But as we grew to know one another better, I realized what an honorable man he really was. I found that he truly cared about me and my well being.

“That is when I first began to love him. And as our trust for each other grew, so did our love. Astrid, there is no such thing as love without trust. That is something you must always remember. First is trust, then comes love.”

Astrid thought for a moment. The idea had never crossed her mind before, but Jorunn was right. It was impossible to truly love someone that you did not trust. That was why Hiccup stood out to her so much! That was why she was always drawn to him! She completely trusted him with her life, and that trust had blossomed into love.

She _loved_ him.

It was a foreign thought. It felt dangerous. It felt wrong. But nothing had ever felt so _right_. She had always imagined love to be this disgusting, mushy, _thing_ that would make her swoon whenever she saw him. But it wasn’t. It was enjoying his company, feeling secure when he was around, wishing he would hold her again. (Okay, it was a little mushy.)

She suddenly just wanted to be _near_ him. She glanced out the window, watching him hoist Finn up to his shoulders. A chill of pure longing to be loved in return shimmed down her spine. What would it be like if the feeling were mutual?

Could he ever love her back? Hope surged in her chest. Someday, maybe. Her trust in him had become love. Perhaps if he knew without a doubt that he could trust her, he would come to love her just as much.


	12. ATurn for the Worse

Hiccup and Astrid had not slept quite so well in _weeks._ Almost as soon as they slipped into bed, they had fallen asleep. And for once, they not only had separate beds, but separate rooms! They were both able to sleep through the night, but Thora ended up crawling into bed with Astrid in the wee hours of the morning.

Tarben announced at breakfast that he would give the two a vessel in order to get home. The rest of the village showered them with other gifts, as though it were everyone’s child whom they had returned. Late in the afternoon, they started preparing to leave.

A young man, perhaps in his early twenties, named Bahain, agreed to travel with them. He was tall with light blond hair, his shoulders broad and muscular. He was sailing to an island south of the Edge, and Hiccup took a liking to him immediately. Astrid grumbled as Hiccup practically forgot about her, and spent every minute of his time with Bahain.

She had to give him a little slack though, as Bahain was one of the first people to share Hiccup’s love of inventing. Bahain was beyond interested in Hiccup’s “Mutilator,” and even suggested a few improvements. Hiccup may enjoy Bahain _very_ much, but Astrid couldn’t stand him.

First off, he was stealing all of Hiccup’s attention. Second, he was too flirty. It was clear that he was attracted to Astrid, and flirted in that ridiculous, cheesy way. When they had first been introduced, he had kissed her fingers and called her “Milady.” Astrid would’ve slapped him had they not been standing in front of thirty people. Hiccup was the only one allowed to call her that.

She tried to busy herself with packing up their things and caring for Jorunn’s children, but she couldn’t keep her mind off the subject. She just didn’t like Bahain, and was _not_ looking forward to spending the next three weeks with him.

The day wore on, and finally they were ready to leave. It was very difficult to say good-bye to their new friends, and somewhat tearful on Astrid’s part. When it came time for her to say farewell to Kory, she was so emotional she could say a word for fear she would start bawling.  

Wiping her eyes, she boarded their boat and the three left the port, waving to the village as long as they could see the island.

Bahain knew of a shortcut so they could avoid all the ice, and Hiccup happily went along with it. Astrid just frowned and went down below the deck, finding herself with nothing to do. Without Kory to care for, she was downright bored.

She could hear the two young men above her, happily trading ideas. She was not at all interested in spending any time with that flirtatious pig, and inventing things was not her strong suit any way. She finally found a piece of wood and began to shave it down with her knife, only making a pile of shavings on the ground.

At least an hour passed by, and she decided to see if Hiccup had enough of Bahain yet. She could no longer hear talking, just muffled sounds. One of them was stomping around on the deck, and it sounded like Hiccup. She poked her head out of the hold.

Her eyes widened as she saw Hiccup, gagged and tied to the mast. “Hiccup!” she, gasped jumping up on the deck.

He glanced up, beginning to feverishly shout something, but the gag prevented anything from being understood. He shook his head as she started to approach him.

Someone clapped a hand over her mouth and pushed her down on the ground. It was Bahain. She had known it all along! She didn’t like him because her gut told him he couldn’t be trusted.

She struggled against him, kicking him and fighting for all she was worth. Bahain kept his hand over her mouth and placed a knee on her chest, keeping her on the ground.

“If you keep fighting, I’ll have to kill you,” Bahain snapped, grabbing her wrist and digging his thumb into the soft tissue between the bones. “Viggo doesn’t really care whether I deliver you dead or alive.”

Astrid realized that she wasn’t going to get away from him, and so she allowed herself to go limp. Bahain gagged her and bound her hands together. She glared at him viciously as he shoved her back into the hold.

“Don’t cause any trouble,” Bahain warned. “You’ll regret it.”

Had she not been gagged, she would have laughed. She would cause as much _trouble_ as she pleased. Bahain was not going to get away with this.

She approached the table where she had left her knife. Her hands were tied behind her back, so she had to turn around to grab the weapon. She tried to cut the rope that bound her hands. She sawed the dagger up and down against the rope, bending her wrist as far back as it would go.

Pain suddenly ripped across her palm, and she felt blood trickle from the heel of her hand. She craned her neck around to see the wound, finding it bleeding profusely. She gritted her teeth together, ignoring the stinging pain singeing her hand.

She continued to saw at the rope, but no matter how long she worked at it, nothing changed. Bahain had tied it too tightly. Discouraged, she sat down against the wall. Her arms ached from the odd angle that they were pulled back in, and her palm was throbbing. Sounds from above her caused her to listen more carefully. She could hear Bahain saying something, and heard Hiccup give a snappy reply. Though she could not hear distinct words, she knew Hiccup must have sassed him off.

Bahain retorted angrily. She strained her ears to listen for more. Hiccup said something else, and she could only hear his angry tone. The other man suddenly roared in anger, and Astrid heard the unmistakable sound of a fist slamming against a jaw. Her stomach twisted over as Hiccup grunted in pain.

She tried to adjust the way the gag dug into her mouth. Who knew cloth could be so painful? She rubbed her mouth against her shoulder, trying to move the cloth a little. It wouldn’t budge. She tried her other shoulder, but to no avail. He gaze turned upwards as she heard sounds again. Someone stomped slowly across the deck, and whoever it was sounded much heavier than Bahain.

The door of the hold creaked open. Two hunters and Bahain dropped inside. Bahain motioned them forward. They grabbed at Astrid but she duck out of the way, and angrily kicked the uglier of the two in the shin. He grunted and grabbed her hair, yanking her back against him. She struggled but the man was just too strong for her, particularly when she was gagged and tied.

Bahain approached her. “My master has arrived for you. I expect you to greet him nicely.”

Astrid glared at him, her eyes gleaming with hatred.

The men pulled her up toward the deck.

“Wait!” Bahain halted them, holding up his hand. He walked up behind Astrid and stared intently at the ropes that bound her hands. “I thought I told you not to cause any trouble. Well, I suppose I can arrange for your supper to be eliminated. Both of your suppers. You see Astrid, if one of you disobeys, both of you suffer.” He pulled the ropes off her hands, the coarse texture scraping and burning her and he yanked the bindings off. 

Astrid did not ever give the man a glance in reply, and allowed the hunters to lift her onto the deck. She sucked in a small gasp as she saw Ryker’s ship sailing along side theirs. A ramp between the two built a way for the passengers to change ships. Ryker could be seen on the deck of his ship, glaring down at them fiercely.

Astrid glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Hiccup being pushed onto the ramp. Blood ran from his nose, and his jaw looked swollen. He met her stare, his eyes spelling out all he wanted to say. _Watch me,_ his eyes whispered intensely. _Play along with whatever I do._

The hunter behind him jabbed the end of his spear into Hiccup’s back. He arched his back to keep away from it and walked onto the ship. Astrid started forward as the hunters guarding her moved up the ramp, Bahain bringing up the rear.

When she reached the top, Ryker gruffly ordered her to stand next to Hiccup in the middle of the deck, then had their gags removed. The situation still seemed hopeless. How could they escape? This ship was packed with hunters, and even if it wasn’t, they still had no way of getting away.

“Well done, Bahain,” Ryker praised, handing the young man a sack of money. “It was a pleasure doing business with you. I will certainly keep you in mind if I need to capture anyone else.” Ryker seemed to be expecting Bahain to leave.

“You promised me twice this much,” Bahain said flatly. “I expect my full payment.”

“Did I?” Ryker stroked his chin. “I don’t seem to remember that.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Grimborn. I know this dance. I can assure you I will get my money one way or another. I don’t care whether you give it to me or I take it. We pirates aren’t known for our morality.”

“Of course,” Ryker replied smoothly. “As we hunters aren’t known for our honesty.” He suddenly grabbed the other man by his throat. “You’ll take the money I gave you and you’ll leave. I could kill you, though, if you wanted another option.”

Bahain wrenched himself from Ryker’s grasp. “See if I ever help you again,” he muttered angrily, stomping down onto the smaller ship.

Ryker watched him go, then turned to his prisoners with a devious smile. “Welcome!” he began. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us. It pains me to admit it, but I dare say my brother’s plan has worked.”

“Viggo is behind this?” Hiccup asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

“Of course he is,” Ryker almost chuckled. “He’s behind everything. Even you’re pitiful little rescue of that baby.”

“How?” Astrid demanded, disrespect in her tone.

“He decided to attack the Sadari Island in the hopes of picking out a baby to use as bait. He made sure that shield was left so that you would know where to take the child. He’s had spies following you everywhere. You Dragon Riders never learn. You’ll never beat Viggo. He’s the best in his game.”

“Oh yes we will,” Astrid retorted, “We have dragons. We will crush you in the end, and then you’ll be begging _us_ for mercy.”

“I don’t think I like your tone,” Ryker said softly, his eyes narrowing. Hiccup glanced at her, warning her to stop.

Astrid had no intentions of stopping. “You’ll be crying and pleading with us to just kill you. We’ll make your lives so horrible that you would rather die. It won’t matter whether Viggo is a mastermind. We’ll lock him up in cell and he’ll never be heard from again. But you, on the other hand, will have Stoick the Vast to answer to, as you’ve kidnapped his son on multiple occasions.”

Ryker raised his hand and stormed over. “I said I didn’t like your tone.” He seemed angrier this time.

“What are you going to do?” Astrid taunted. “Hit me? Go ahead. I’m not scared of you.”

Ryker glared at her, and drew back his hand to swing. Astrid didn’t even flinch as his hand came toward her. But he never hit her. He hit Hiccup. Hiccup winced and turned his head away. The hunter then hit him again, causing more blood to flow from his nose. Over and over the man hit him, Hiccup never giving him the pleasure of a pained groan.

“What are you doing?!” Astrid shouted. “I’m the one who talked back! Stop hurting him!”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Ryker asked, slapping Hiccup again. “You wouldn’t care enough if I hurt you. If I hurt him, though…” He grabbed Hiccup’s chin and forced him to make eye contact with her. Pain shown in his eyes, but his lips were set in a determined, expressionless line. “This is when you feel real pain.” Ryker told her quietly.

The man roughly threw Hiccup on the ground, delivering a swift kick in the stomach. Astrid literally bit her tongue to keep quiet. If she said anything, she would only get Hiccup hurt more. Ryker kicked Hiccup again, telling him to get up and fight back. Hiccup tried to roll away, but another hunter stopped him. Ryker knelt and grabbed a fistful of Hiccup’s hair, lifting his head by it. He then slammed the young man’s face against the wooden deck.

Astrid sucked in a gasp as she saw blood seeping from a cut on Hiccup’s forehead. Ryker stood and kicked Hiccup again, this time in the ribs. Hiccup coughed weakly, pain written across his face. He turned his gaze to her, pleading for help.

That was the final straw. “Stop it!” Astrid shouted, trying to pull away from the Hunters holding her captive. “Stop hurting him! He didn’t do anything! Stop!”

Ryker paid no attention.

“Leave him alone!” She was screaming now, and tears were threatening to fall. “Stop! It’s not his fault! Don’t hurt him! No!”

Ryker seemed to like how hysterical she was. He kicked Hiccup again.

“STOP!” Astrid jerked her wrists from the hunters, falling on top of Hiccup to shield him from more harm. Ryker’s next kick came almost immediately. His foot struck her back, knocking the wind out of her for a second.

“Get up,” Ryker commanded.

“No,” she replied, her voice shaking. “I won’t let you hurt him again.”

“Fine, have it your way.” Ryker grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up, and some of his men rushed forward to help him control her. "Get that she-devil out of here," he commanded. She fought them wildly, but they grabbed her anyway and dragged her toward the hold.

“Wait!”

Everyone stopped, and looked at Hiccup. He had pulled himself to his feet, and fixed his gaze on Astrid. “Where are you taking her?” he glared at Ryker, a possessive sound resonating in his voice as her referred to Astrid.

“They’re taking her to my cabin.” Ryker said, mostly to his men. “I have good use for her.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Hiccup growled, his hands balling into fists.

“Will someone please shut him up?” Ryker walked away, and another man grabbed a sword, slamming the hilt into the back of Hiccup’s head. He grunted and stumbled to the ground.

Astrid swallowed. It was up to her now. If She entered Ryker’s cabin…she decided not to think about the rest. The hunters began to drag her up to a door, obviously the cabin entrance. Astrid struggled as hard as she dared, for fear they might hurt Hiccup again if she made too much of a scene.

_“Ye ever get caught lass, ye tell ‘em ye are due to have another man’s baby. Not sure what it is that makes ‘em leave, but it works.”_

The words of the old bread seller popped into her head just before they reached the door. One of the hunters was opening it. Time was up. She needed to find out if the old woman was right.

“Wait!” she blurted out. “There’s something you should know.”

“What?” Ryker asked, coming up beside her.

She looked up at him, trying to hide her fear behind fierceness. “I’m pregnant.”


	13. The Craziest Idea Possible

Astrid sat in the pitch black box, shivering as rainwater dripped from the ceiling. She was locked in here, as if she were some dangerous wild animal. She sniffed and drew her knees up to her chest. She had tried to think of way the situation could be worse, just to cheer herself up, but she wanted to cry in frustration. Never had she felt so lonely. The truth was she wasn’t alone. Hiccup was in the box as well, somewhere.

She couldn’t see him. She couldn’t hear him. She was having a hard time believing he was really there. He hadn’t stirred since one of Ryker’s men had knocked him out cold. She had felt around for him, but the box was large enough to make finding him nearly impossible.

She wasn’t too fond of navigating a skeleton mine, either. She didn’t know what creature the bones had come from, but they felt about the right size to be from a human. She consoled herself with the knowledge that Ryker couldn’t let them die there. Viggo was expecting them.

The sound of soft coughing filled the room, causing Astrid to jerk her head up. “Hiccup?” she whispered into the darkness, praying that he would answer and prove that he was really there.

“Astrid? Is that you?” Hiccup’s reply was weak, but there.

“Yeah, where are you?” Astrid glanced around trying to make out a shape. It was useless; she couldn’t even see her hand right in front of her face.

“I’m leaning up against a wall. That’s all I know.”

Astrid placed a hand on the wall and felt her way along. She passed two corners and a few bones here and there. Hiccup gasped as she suddenly brushed up against him, but let out a sigh of relief when he realized who it was.

“Are you okay?” Astrid whispered, sitting down next to him.

“I think so,” he replied, shifting around. “There’s a pretty good sized gash on my forehead though. I can feel it bleeding.”

“Let me see…feel.” Astrid reached out her hand gently, placing her fingers on his face. She felt around for the wound, and found in above his right eye. He was right. He fingers were wet with blood as soon as she touched the gash. He drew in a sharp breath through his teeth as soon as her fingers made contact. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Where else are you hurt?”

“My abs are a little sore. I guess I should just be thankful he didn’t kick me as much in the ribs. My head is killing me, though.”

“The back of your head?”

“Mostly.”

Astrid paused and hugged her knees again. “I’m sorry I got you so beat up.” She hung her head sadly. “You didn’t deserve it. I tried to stop him, really. He might’ve killed you, and it would be all my fault.” A big tear slid down her cheek as the memory of his pleading glance captured her mind. “I’m sorry, Hiccup. This is all my fault. You shouldn’t be hurt because of me. I’m so, so sorry.” More tears dribbled down her cheeks, and she drew in a shaky breath. Hiccup could tell that she was crying.

“Don’t be sorry,” he whispered, clumsily cupping her cheek in his hand. “You’re worth it.”

“Thanks,” Astrid smiled, wiping her eyes. “And sorry. I know I shouldn’t cry. It won’t help us escape.”

“Astrid, wait. I don’t know if it’s the head injury or what, but everything’s a little fuzzy. Could you tell me exactly what happened?”

“Sure,” Astrid tried not to sound as worried as she really was. “Bahain turned out to a be a backstabbing jerk and turned us over to Ryker, who I ever so brilliantly sassed off. He hurt you as punishment for me, and then when I tried to stop him, he just had some men get me out of the way.”

“I remember all that. And thanks, by the way, for trying to stop him.”

“You’re welcome. I just wish I did it sooner. Anyway, Ryker was going to send me to his cabin, and you told him not to, so he had somebody knocked you out.”

“Did he get away with…what he wanted?”

“No.”

“Oh, thank Thor. How did you pull that off?”

“I told him I was pregnant with your kid.”

Hiccup laughed aloud. “Astrid, that was brilliant!” He squeezed her shoulders and continued laughing, gently, as much movement hurt his stomach.

“He won’t be believing me for long,” she muttered under her breath.

“Why not? That was the best thing you could have possibly said.”

Astrid sighed uncomfortably. “You know that really annoying and inconvenient thing that comes around every month?”

 “Yeah.” She could just _hear_ him cringing. He knew what she was about to say.

“Well, it decided to be really, _really_ inconvenient.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah… It won’t take Ryker too long to figure out I was lying.”

“How long do you think you can hide it?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have anything to use.” She blushed. Of all the people she could be talking to about this, it was _Hiccup._ This must be the definition of mortifying. She was going to have absolutely _no_ dignity by the end of this trip. At least he couldn’t see how red her cheeks were.

“That does cause problems,” he muttered. “Are you sure you don’t have anything?”

“All of my stuff was in my bags, which are now currently in the possession of Bahain.”

“Maybe you could tell him you thought wrong and you’re not actually pregnant.”

“I can’t. I said I was checked by a healer.”

“You could tell him you miscarried.”

“I already thought of that. I’m pretty sure you have other problems besides bleeding for an entire week when that happens.”

Hiccup groaned. “Do you think he knows that?”

Astrid shrugged even though Hiccup couldn’t see her. “If he does, it will only make us look worse.”

Hiccup gingerly leaned back against the wall, sucking in a quick breath as his bruised back made contact with the wood. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in this…wherever we are.”

“Not long,” Astrid replied. “We’re right underneath Ryker’s cabin. I heard him talking last night. At least I think it was last night. We docked at Nanni and Rummy’s island. At some point today, Ryker and his men will leave the ship and some bounty hunters are going to take us to their ship. They will take us to Viggo.

“Ryker thinks that if anyone finds out we’re missing, they’ll come after him. That’s why he’s sending us with the bounty hunters. No one will know that we ever made it to Viggo.”

“Who are these ‘bounty hunters?’”

“I’m not sure, but the leader’s name is Svikar. I’ve never met him though.”

“Hey, problem solved! If you’ve never met him, he doesn’t know about the whole ‘pregnancy’ thing.”

“He does,” Astrid muttered. “Ryker told him to ‘be careful with the girl because she’s pregnant.’”

“He was here?”

“Yeah, he left though. He sounded pretty gruff.”

“Wait, did Ryker tell him exactly how pregnant you were?”

“As in how far along?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

“Alright, I just thought of the craziest idea possible. This Svikar guy has no idea how pregnant you supposedly are. He’s never seen you before. Ryker won’t be around when he sees you for the first time. If we make you look like you’re about ready to pop, and the you start screaming that your baby’s coming, his first reaction will be to get you off his ship.”

For a moment, Astrid could not think of words to give in response. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she said finally. “That will never work. That guy is way too smart for this.”

“Look. My aunt was a healer. When I was younger, my dad would leave me with her while he worked. Whenever my aunt had to deliver a baby, her hut was the last place any guy would be. It’s just not a comfortable situation to be in.” Hiccup shifted around, but Astrid could not tell what he was doing.

“Why? What’s so uncomfortable about birth?”

“In all honesty, I don’t fully know. The whole concept is somewhat nerve-racking. But believe me, if you start screaming that your water broke and the baby’s coming, the last place Svikar is going to want you is on his ship.” A smug tone filled his voice.

“Okay,” Astrid began, “I start screaming and he doesn’t believe me? Then what happens?”

“You scream louder.”

“What exactly do you plan to use in order to make me look nine months pregnant?”

Hiccup grabbed her hand and placed in on some leather. It felt like his armor. “This should work.”

Astrid sighed and took the material from him. She rolled it into a ball and squished it into a “pregnant belly” shape. It was hard to tell whether or not it would look believable. She un-tucked her shirt from her belt and slid the ball of leather up underneath the cloth. The leather was so cold against her bare skin that she sucked in a small gasp. She adjusted the position of the ball before pulling her shirt back over it and tucking it in.

“I wish I could see what I look like,” she whispered. “It’s hard to say whether it looks believable in the dark.”

“Let me feel,” Hiccup instructed, placing a hand on the wad. “As long as there are no lumps and it isn’t lopsided, you should be fine.” He skimmed his palm across the bump until he was satisfied that it would look right. “If you scream loud enough, they won’t pay attention to what your stomach looks like.”

“Yeah, about that. I’ve actually been present for a few births, and the isn’t so much screaming as there is groaning and moaning.”

“Well, do that too. You’re trying to freak them out. Make a scene.”

“You should know that this is the weirdest thing I have ever done.”

“Oh, I already know that.”

Astrid sighed. “Hiccup, if this doesn’t work-”

“It will work.” Hiccup cut her off.

“But what if-”

“Astrid, do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Trust me, and this will work fine.”

. . .

The door to their room slowly creaked open, and young man appeared. The light that poured into the dark space momentarily blinded the two prisoners, but both quickly glanced at Astrid’s stomach just to see how she looked. She was very believable.

“Come with me,” the man commanded. “Svikar wants to see you.”

Astrid played her part well, struggling to stand and acting as if the leather weighed a hundred pounds. Hiccup offered her a hand and pulled her up. She groaned a little, placing a hand on her lower back as if she were in pain. The guard rolled his eyes as she slowly made her way to the door.

They walked down the hallway, Astrid lagging a good distance behind. She tried her hardest to look out of breath and weary. She arched her back and kept her legs further apart, trying to give the impression that a good deal of weight was resting on her pelvis.

“Can’t you move any faster?” the man urged.

“Oh, shut up!” Astrid snapped. “You carry a kid for nine months and see if you feel like walking anywhere.”

Hiccup tried his hardest not to laugh. He succeeded in only smirking.

They were led up on deck and a tall, broad-shouldered man stood sneering at them. His mud brown hair was pulled back in a pony-tail, and his eyes were crystal blue. Had he not been sneering, he might have been attractive, except for a hideous scar that ruined the whole left side of his face.

“I am Svikar,” he began, his voice harsh and raspy. “I am now your captor. You will do as I say, or you will-”

“I hate to interrupt you,” Astrid butt in, a high level of sass in her tone, “but I’m having contractions and an intense craving for poached salmon. If you don’t mind, could you possibly speed things up? I am _very_ uncomfortable right now, and standing here is not helping.” She placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to one foot. This was actually rather enjoyable; sassing off Svikar.

“No,” Svikar replied simply. “If you do not do as I tell you, I will see that you are severely punished.”

Astrid shifted around some more, rubbing her lower back. She tried to appear worried. Svikar didn’t seem to pay any attention to her. _Time to step it up a notch._ She groaned a little, leaning forward as if she were about to lose the contents of her stomach. A few of the men were watching her now. Svikar was still talking, but seemed to glance at her more often.

She drew in a sharp breath and winced, hugging her stomach as she did so. Hiccup gave her a worried glance. _Ah yes. Good job, Hiccup. Very nicely played._ Astrid groaned a little louder and gritted her teeth together as though in pain.

Now everyone was staring her. _Enough build up._ She cried out suddenly, dropping to her knees and clutching the ball of leather tightly. Hiccup quickly knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked ever so slightly winking at her.

Astrid moaned loudly. “No.” she replied. “No…I thought it was false labor but…AUGH!” She doubled over as she screamed in pain. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the men exchanging nervous glances. Even Svikar seemed worried. Perfect.

She moaned dramatically again, and stumbled to her hands and knees on the deck. Hiccup looked around at the men, as if expecting one of them to do something. Astrid screamed abruptly, grabbing her stomach with one hand. “This…this is it,” she groaned, rolling onto her side. “The baby’s coming…now.”


	14. The Craziest Plan Gone Wrong

“Don’t just stand there!” Hiccup shouted above Astrid’s screaming. “Do something!”

The bounty hunters exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

“Oh, it hurts!” Astrid moaned, writhing on the deck. She fixed a savage glare on Hiccup. “You!” she screamed. “You did this to me!”

Hiccup could only wonder if she was trying to crack him up. She rolled onto her back groaning and wailing hysterically. He swallowed to keep from smirking. She could definitely be dramatic when she wanted to be.

"Well," Svikar bellowed, pointing to his men. "You heard the man! Do something!"

The bounty hunters bustled around, bumping into each other as they tried to help. The guard who had led them up to the deck approached them nervously. "Can I do anything?" he asked softly, stiffening as Astrid screamed again.

"You can find me a midwife!" she snarled, propping herself up on her elbows. "And get me off this boat!"

Svikar overheard and ordered his men to pick Astrid up and get her off his ship. The men hesitantly walked over. One of the men was actually brave enough to help her sit up. "Aughhh!" Astrid groaned and doubled over. "I need something to squeeze!" She grabbed the man's hand and squeezed as hard as she possibly could. She heard something pop.

"OW!!" The man howled and wrenched his hand from her grasp. "There are bones in my hand--bones that can be broken!"

The bounty hunters tried several times to lift her from the ship deck, but every time Astrid would begin to scream and demand they put her down. She finally allowed Hiccup to carry her off the ship.

Hiccup leaned close to her ear as they moved just out of earshot. "Rummy?" he whispered, asking where they should go. She nodded as subtly as she could. "We need to go to the inn!" Hiccup shouted to the men behind him. They clearly wanted to keep their distance. "The innkeeper's wife can help us!"

Svikar quickly nodded his approval and began barking out orders to his men. Hiccup quickened his pace, hoping to reach the inn before the other men, just to give them time to explain.

"Go in the back door!" Astrid hissed between moans. "Nanni said it's always open!"

Hiccup gave a quick nod and speed walked around the side of the inn. Nervously, he glanced over his shoulder, trying to catch sight of the bounty hunters. He didn't bother to knock on the door. He pushed it open with his back and found himself in the kitchen. "Nanni! Rummy!" he called, Astrid hiding his voice with her screams. "You've got to help us!"

Nanni came running into the kitchen as fast as her short legs would carry her. "Good Valhalla!" Nanni exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth. "What are you two doing here?!"

"I don't have time to explain! Get us in a room! Hurry!"

Nanni seemed to understand the urgency of the situation, and though she was very obviously confused as to why Astrid looked nine months pregnant, she hurried them into a room. "What is going on?!" the tiny woman demanded, her hands on her hips. Rummy had been drawn to the commotion and was just as befuddled.

"We got captured by Ryker," Hiccup began, drawing the drapes over the window. "He traded us off to these Bounty Hunters, and we faked that Astrid was going into labor to get off the ship. You've got to help us; they'll be here any second."

Nanni turned to her husband. "When those men show up, you lead them to the bar and get them as drunk as you can." The man nodded and hurried out the door. Nanni turned to Hiccup and Astrid. "This has to be believable. Hiccup, go out to the back, and fetch a chicken. I want you to kill it and bring me as much of its blood as you can."

Hiccup turned slightly pale. He hated killing things. Swallowing, he nodded and left them room.

Nanni pushed the drapes aside and scanned the yard for the bounty hunters. Her determined expression seemed to be etched from stone. She walked quickly over to the fireplace and placed a second log on it. She quietly told Astrid to start screaming again, as she could hear the men walking up the hall.

A distinct knock on the door startled them both. "Who is it?" Nanni called nervously.

"Let me in," Svikar's voice answered.

Nanni's face went white, and she hastily sat Astrid down on the bed, covering her lower half with a blanket. "You most certainly can _not_ come in!" Nanni replied, appalled.

The door swung open, and Svikar strode into the room. "I've delivered babies before. I've come to help." The devious grin on his gave away that he was only trying to see if she was lying.

Astrid tried to hide her sudden fear with a groan. If Nanni couldn't get Svikar to leave, he would very soon realize it was a fraud. And if Hiccup got back while Svikar was still there... she had to do something. "Get out of here! Get out!" she screamed with all her might. "You will NOT deliver my baby! Do you hear me?! Get out!"

"If you insist," Svikar shrugged in a way that immediately made her think of Viggo--that casual, nonchalant attitude which proclaimed their inevitable victory. He walked calmly out the door and shut it behind him. Nanni and Astrid shared a sigh of relief.

Sudden rapping on the window caught their attention and Nanni pulled aside the curtains. Hiccup stood outside, and he held up the bowl of chicken blood for Nanni to see. The woman pushed open the glass and took the bowl from him with a nod of thanks. "Find out Rummy's status," she whispered before closing the window and covering it with the cloth.

She removed the blanket covering Astrid's legs. "Alright love," she began, her voice hushed. "If that devil decides to come back in here, this has to look real. Get those leggings off and use this blood." Astrid nodded and pulled her fur tunic down over her hips further before wriggling out of her navy leggings, pausing every few moments to scream.

Nanni had left the bowl of blood next to her and gone to find something to bar the door with. Astrid wrinkled her nose before dipping her hand into the liquid and smearing it on her inner thigh. Her throat clenched as it was still warm. The putrid, metallic smell wafted past her nose. She didn't mind blood at all, but covering herself with the fresh, warm fluid was not appealing. It was sickening, almost.

Nanni had returned and bared the door, and carried a bar of wood with her. She placed across the door and inside the latches for it. "That should keep him out," she commented, glancing back at Astrid. "Oh, very convincing, love!"

Astrid stifled a giggle with a moan. She hid the leftover blood underneath the bed and leaned back letting out another groan. "Nanni," she started quietly. "Can I have some water? Faking a birth is hard work."

Nanni smiled, poured her a glass of water, and handed it to her. Astrid took it gratefully and chugged the entire glass.

"Rummy has the men drinking," Nanni explained, pouring out a little of the chicken blood on the blanket covering Astrid's legs. "All except Svikar. He's too smart to get drunk. He might suspect something, so we must be careful. Hiccup is playing his part well. He is pacing around acting so nervous you'd think you were really giving birth." Nanni smiled.

Astrid screamed again before replying. "He's good at that sort of thing. Occasionally."

"I have a plan," Nanni went on. "But you're going to have to die."

Astrid shot her a confused look and moaned. "Die?"

"Yes. We'll tell them you died in childbirth. That will give Hiccup an excuse to come in here for a moment. You two can sneak out the window. "

Astrid nodded her agreement and groaned. Someone suddenly knocked on the door, surprising them both.

"Who is it?" Nanni called, obviously curious.

A loud noise followed, and the door was kicked open, snapping the cross bar in half. "Me," Svikar said simply.

"How dare you come barging in here like this!" Nanni shouted, glaring at him ferociously. "I already told you to stay out!"

"I know," Svikar grinned cruelly. "But I want to make sure things are going along smoothly." Neither woman could miss the devilish look that flashed through his eyes.

Astrid screamed again, trying to add credibility to the situation. She grabbed Nanni's arm and doubled over, crying out as she did so. "Oh, Nanni, it hurts!"

"I know, love. Just breathe." She removed Astrid's hand from her arm and walked over to Svikar. She motioned for him to follow her out of the room. By some miraculous means, he did so. "It pains me to say this," Nanni told him, her voice hushed. "But everything is not going smoothly. There is too much blood, and the baby hasn't even come close to crowning. I don't know quite what's wrong."

Svikar seemed to believe her. "I'll check on you later."

Nanni walked back into the room, pleased with herself for setting the stage for Astrid's death. As she turned back into the room, she heard Astrid give another scream, but it sounded different than the others. It sounded _real_.

. . .

Hiccup glanced up from his seat in the dining hall. He was supposed to appear nervous, and it wasn't hard. He was surrounded by half drunk bounty hunters, all except for Svikar, of course. He refused any drink, and Hiccup could only wonder how much he knew of their plan.

He was nervous. If Svikar found out they had faked everything, what would the man do? He couldn't kill them at least. Viggo wanted them alive. That led to another question. What would Viggo do to make them talk? Would he beat them until they told him what they wanted? Torture them? No, Viggo seemed more interested in torture of the mind.

Viggo was clearly interested in the mind. _He might torture Astrid to get me to talk_ , Hiccup realized. His hands grew clammy at the thought. Somehow, he had to keep Astrid safe. He nearly laughed at himself. Keep Astrid safe! If he could keep Astrid safe, they wouldn't be in the predicament they were in now.

"Hiccup." Nanni's soft voice came from the hallway. She sounded worried.

He looked over at her, finding her face portraying every ounce of worry that her voice did. She motioned for him to come over. He stood and obeyed.

Nanni rang her hands nervously. "Hiccup, you must promise not to let this worry you."

"Nanni, what's wrong?"

"I- I'm really not really sure. It just started all of a sudden. I-"

"Nanni, you're scaring me. What happened?" Hiccup went down on one knee and looked the woman in the eyes.

"It's Astrid. She was fine one moment, and the next she was in pain. I don't know what happened. Her stomach...it's causing her intense pain and-"

"What?" Hiccup tried to keep his voice low.

"It happened so quickly. She was perfectly fine, and then she just doubled over in pain. It's more in her abdomen. I think something possibly ruptured."

Hiccup swallowed thickly. Could this get any worse? "Those screams are real?" he whispered, more to himself than Nanni.

Nanni nodded, dropping her gaze.

"Will she be okay?"

"I- I don't know. Please keep this too yourself. I don't want Svikar to try and investigate. She was asking for you, but I don't dare let you in. That would give too much away."

Hiccup nodded, in shock. Nanni left and returned to Astrid. The young man headed back to his place in the dining room. Getting sent to Viggo hardly mattered anymore. Was this his fault? It had to be his. He had let Astrid go on this fool-hardy journey anyway. Perhaps she was injured by Bahain or Ryker, and now...it could possibly cost her life.

An hour passed slowly, and every time he heard Astrid cry out, his chest tightened. Before he had wanted to laugh at her drama. This was no longer drama. This was real. His crazy plan had backfired. They were supposed to be faking a non-existent baby's birth. Now, he was praying that Astrid would survive. The plan he had so carefully thought out could not have gone more wrong.

Astrid's screams had diminished to half-hearted moans. The moans grew fewer and fewer. Hiccup found himself painfully waiting for each sound, just as proof that Astrid was still hanging on. Just as he would start to worry that she had slipped away, she would moan and ease his mind.

Except once. Time passed on and on, and no sound came. Even Svikar seemed puzzled. Hiccup closed his eyes and ran his fingers though his hair, almost willing her to make a sound.

Footsteps padded through the hall and Nanni appeared in the doorway. He face told everything. "I'm sorry," she said, a tear falling down her cheek. "She's gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I couldn't have possibly killed Astrid off. Just keep in mind this is FANfiction. Anything can happen.


	15. The Royals of Awkward Moments

Hiccup pushed past Nanni and ran to the room where he had left Astrid. Svikar tried to follow him, but the woman held up her hand to stop him. "Wait," she begged softly. "Just give the boy a moment, a few minutes to absorb the shock."

Svikar grudgingly agreed.

Hiccup stumbled down the hallway, to numb to cry. It couldn't be. Nanni wasn't right. She couldn't be right. He wouldn't believe it. His hand trembled as he reached for the door. He pushed it open and realized that it really could be.

Astrid lay on the bed, her eyes closed. She looked pale and helpless. She looked _dead_. Hiccup slowly approached, his lower lip beginning to tremble. His footsteps echoed through the silent room. He finally reached her bed and knelt beside it. She was so quiet, so still. Tears began to prick at his eyes.

Why? What had gone wrong? She had been fine. Four hours ago she had been alive and well, and now...he buried his head in his hands and wept.

"Hiccup."

Hiccup's head shot up. Had Astrid just spoken? He watched her intensely. Her eyes were still closed, and she did not appear to have moved.

"Hiccup." Her voice was hushed, and he watched in awe as her lips moved to form the word.

"Dead people can't talk." his voice cracked as a sob was stuck in his throat.

"I'm not dead. Are we alone?"

"Y-yes." Hiccup whispered back to her, perfectly shocked.

"Good." Astrid sat up abruptly, and jumped out of the bed. "Come on!" she hissed, motioning him to follow her.

Hiccup couldn't move. Could he truly believe his eyes?

"Let's go," Astrid urged, opening the window. Hiccup still stared at her. Astrid huffed and hurried over to him, stopping on the other side of the bed and knelt down, facing him. "I never died, Hiccup. We faked it. I'll explain on the way. No let's get out of here before Svikar shows up."

He nodded and stood up, clearly still shocked. Astrid shook her head and began to stand up. Her knee hit the bowl of blood and the contents splashed all over her leggings, which she had put on while Nanni went to get Hiccup. She cursed under her breath. Perfect. Now she was dripping with chicken blood.

She followed Hiccup out the window, grateful for the leather cushion on her stomach. The window was high enough so that she had to lie on her stomach while getting her leg up and over, and the ledge was rather sharp. She dropped to the ground below and she and Hiccup broke into a run. They scrambled over the snow banks and behind rock, now fugitives.

 "Okay," Hiccup gasped. "How exactly are you not dead?"

"We made the scenario up to get a real reaction from you, which was adorable," she answered breathlessly. "We wanted to fake my death to get you and I together so we could escape, but there was no way to tell you, so we made up this one. Nanni had Svikar already suspecting something was wrong, so this just added to the credibility."

"Where are we going now?"

"Guess who happens to be trading his wares here right now?"

"Johann?"

"Yes. His ship is just up ahead." Someone suddenly gabbed her shoulder and yanked her to the ground. She tried to scream but a hand over her mouth muffled her cry. As she struggled to get away, her gaze locked with none other than Bahain.

"I intend to get my full pay someway or another," he said slyly, shoving his knife against her throat. The blade drew the smallest amount of blood. "Keep moving and I'll slit your pretty little neck open. And you," he turned to Hiccup, "Make a sound and it will be the end of her."

Bahain helped himself to sitting down on Astrid's thighs, keeping the knife held just at the top of her throat. He chuckled savagely at Astrid's horrified face. "I'm going to sell you to Viggo," he laughed, adjusting his grip on the knife. "If I don't kill you, that is."

Astrid gave Hiccup a frantic glance. _What can I do?_ She tried to speak to him using only eye contact. He clearly didn't understand. She tried again. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. He was worse at reading glances than Ruffnut. She tried once more, giving him the most obvious look she could muster.

She suddenly gabbed Bahain's arm and yanked it towards herself, raising her hips and tilting to the left. The man leaned over precariously and finally lost his balance. Astrid rolled him over, pinning his wrist to the ground and took the knife from him. He fought to get it back, but she pushed the point of the blade up to his Adam's apple, and he stopped moving immediately, for fear of what she would do.

He stared up at her with wide eyes, and both gasped for air. In one last attempt to win, he grabbed her wrist and tried to pull the knife back, and succeeded. He struggled to his feet as soon as the girl was off him, and he quickly drew his sword with an angry roar.

The sound was cut short by as grunt of pain. His eyes grew wide (well, wider) and then slowly closed. He stumbled to the ground, lying face down in the snow.

In his place stood Hiccup, clutching his metal leg in his hands. He gave her that ridiculous smile of his before toppling over sideways. Astrid rushed over to him, trying not to laugh. "Are you okay?" she giggled, helping his to sit up and brushing the snow off his shoulders.

He chuckled along with her. "Yeah. This isn't the first time I've lost my balance." He strapped the leg back in place, wincing just a little. She shot him a worried glance. "It's fine," he assured her, "just a blister. I get them all the time."

Guilt invaded her mind. She had never thought that his leg would blister, but when she did, she realized how common, and painful, it would be. She occasionally got a blister if her boots were too tight, but the problem could be solved if she simply took the shoe off. That didn't work for Hiccup. If he wanted to walk, he had to deal with the blister. It was such a simple thing she took for granted, but Hiccup couldn't.

He didn't seem bothered though, as he stood and offered to help her up. He didn't even limp as they walked down to the docks and searched out Trader Johann's ship. Hiccup seemed to have forgotten all about the blister, but it kept nagging at Astrid's mind. If he just ignored blisters that he got "all the time," what else did he allow to go unacknowledged?

It was not hard to find Johann’s ship. They only needed to look for a large crowd of Vikings. The two crept around the side of a vender’s shack, finally making a mad dash for Johann’s ship. They scampered below deck, breathing hard. Finding a small storage compartment, they squeezed inside.

“Hiccup,” Astrid panted, trying to sit down, “you’re taking up all the leg room!”

“Sorry.” Hiccup scooted around to give Astrid more room.

“I can’t stretch my legs out!” she hissed into the darkness. She shifted around the tiny space, trying to find a place for her legs. “Okay,” she said finally. “My feet are going in your lap.”

“Fine with me.”

Astrid set her feet in Hiccup’s lap, sighing as the numbness that had pooled in her knees subsided. Hiccup suddenly began to remove her boots, setting them aside. He presently started to massage the ball of her foot.

“What are you doing?” she asked, leaning back against the wall.

“Well, your feet are in my lap, so I figured I shouldn’t just let them sit here.” He rhythmically pressed his thumbs into her foot.

“Oh, that feels so good.” She sighed dramatically. “Where did you learn to do this so well?”

Hiccup laughed quietly. “My dad has me rub his back sometimes. He gets really sore after fights and other stuff like that.”

“Oh, I don’t blame him. This is amazing.”

Hiccup chuckled again, switching to her other foot.

. . .

Stoick frowned as Skullcrusher sniffed the snow drifts for a scent. How could his son have been so fool-hardy to come to a place like this? This was the scum of humanity, these northern islands. Not to mention they were _freezing._

And to bring Astrid along as well! Stoick could understand Hiccup putting himself in danger, but Astrid? That simply didn’t seem right.

The man noticed an inn at the top of a hill. The two muttonheads would have most likely stayed there. Stoick motioned to Skullcrusher to follow him, and marched up to the wooden building. He knocked loudly on the door.

A short, plump woman, answered. “I apologize sir, but now is really not a good time.” She started to shut the door.

Stoick blocked it with his hand. “I need to speak with the innkeeper.”

“He’s busy. Now I really must ask you to leave.”

“No. I need to speak with him.”

“I’m his wife. Can I be of service?” She looked up at him, a hand on her hip.

“Perhaps. I need to know if a certain someone stayed here.”

“We don’t give out such information. I’m sorry.” The woman frowned and continued looking at him flatly. Skullcrusher growled, stepping forward.

The woman gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth and backing up. “He won’t hurt you unless I tell him to,” Stoick said roughly. “Now, did one Hiccup Haddock stay at your inn?”

“What right do you have to know?”

“Just answer me.” Why must this woman be so stubborn? She reminded him of Valka.

“I told you before, we do not give out such information.” She looked thoroughly frightened, but continued to defy him.

“He was here, I know it. If he had not been, you would simply say no.”

“You know no such thing.”

“If you do not answer me, I will have my dragon sniff him out, and I will be forced to punish you for not helping me.” Stoick tried to sound firm, but it was so difficult to be firm with a grown woman who hardly came up to his waist.

“You would do no such thing to a woman!” she gasped, clearly offended.

Stoick finally gave up his tough, offensive manner. “Please. I need your help. I must find my son.”

“Your son?”

“Yes. He’s eighteen, has thick brown hair and green eyes, missing his left leg. He probably came through with a young blonde woman.”

“Hiccup Haddock is your son?”

“Yes. Please I must find him before-”

“Answer me this. For what reason did he come this way?” The woman’s eyes narrowed at him skeptically.

“His friends told me that he was trying to return a baby to his parents. You must understand-” he did not have a chance to finish, as the tiny woman had reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside. Skullcrusher growled, but Stoick motioned for him to stay calm.

“My name is Nanni,” the woman said quickly, leading him down a hall. “I’m helping your son escape.”

“Escape? From what?”

“Bounty hunters. He and the girl were both caught. They are gone now, but I will take you to the room they were in. Perhaps your dragon can smell them out. I do not know where they have gone. That is all that I can tell you.” She stopped at a door and opened in for him. Skullcrusher immediately began to sniff the room.

The dragon picked up a trail near the window and he and Stoick walked back out the house and around to were the trail was. “Find them, boy.” Stoick commanded as he mounted his dragon. The beast roared and took off, shaking his head as he followed Hiccup and Astrid’s trail.

. . .

Astrid giggled again taking another bite of the apple that she had found in the storage compartment. What luck they had, getting trapped inside Johann’s food storage! “Okay, my turn,” she said, ceasing her laughter. “I’ve got a riddle. If you have it, you want to share it. But as soon as you share it, you don’t have it anymore. In fact, it doesn’t even exist anymore. What is it?”

“It stops existing when you give it away?” Hiccup asked, thinking hard.

“Yep.”

“Is it…your life?”

“No.”

“Fine. I give up.”

“It’s a secret.”

“Yeah, I know. I give up, so you can tell me now.”

“The answer is a secret.”

“We’ve been over that. Can I just know what the answer is please? I can’t guess it.”

“Oh, for Thor’s sake, Hiccup!” Astrid groaned in exasperation. “‘A secret!’ That’s the answer! If you share a secret, it doesn’t exist anymore!”

“Oh.”

Astrid burst into giggles again, Hiccup soon beginning to join her. “You are so slow!” she gasped, her sides hurting from laughter.

“I did just get, like, _seven_ different head injuries,” he chuckled, pinching her foot.

The door to the storage hatch suddenly creaked open, and Stoick appeared, staring down at them dumbly.

“Oh, hey dad!” Hiccup greeted, shading his eyes from the sudden light.

“Hello,” Stoick replied, eyeing them strangely. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, just enjoying ourselves!” Astrid said with a giggle, re-arranging her feet in Hiccup’s lap. “This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks!”

Stoick glanced her, clearly not enjoying himself. “I think that perhaps you’ve been having a little too much fun.” He looked to his son sternly.

Hiccup and Astrid shared a confused glance. That’s when Hiccup realized why his dad was acting so strangely. They had been gone from Berk for several months if not more. Astrid looked pregnant. And she was covered in blood. And they were acting rather comfortable with each other. His cheeks started to burn.

“Dad, this is NOT what it looks like!” he said quickly, pushing Astrid’s feet out of his lap. “I promise it’s not what you’re thinking!”

Astrid had picked up on the cause as well. She quickly pulled the leather out from under her shirt. “It’s just leather,” she explained, then realized how weird that must look. She was _far_ too old to be playing mommy.

“It’s just chicken blood,” Hiccup went on. “Well, most of it is.”

Astrid glared at him, and Stoick appeared more suspicious than ever.

“We were captured-”

“And I told Ryker I was pregnant.” Astrid jumped in.

“And then it ended up being that time of the month-”

“So Ryker wasn’t going to believe me anymore.”

“And I made her pretend to go into labor to get away from Svikar.”

“And we made it to Rummy and Nanni’s-”

“But Svikar wouldn’t get drunk!”

“So we couldn’t escape!”

“And then Astrid died-”

“And Bahain wanted to sell us to Viggo!”

“But Hiccup knocked him out and we ran in here!”

Stoick nodded doubtfully, and glanced from one to the other. “Are you sure you weren’t just playing…a game?”

“No!” Hiccup shouted, then paused. “Wait…yes.”

“We weren’t playing anything but a riddle/joke game.” Astrid put in awkwardly, ringing her hands.

The man gave them both a hard stare and left. Cheeks burning, they sat back down.

“I guess we just earned the titles of “King and Queen of Awkward Moments.” Hiccup quipped, embarrassment in his voice. His hand found its way to the back of his neck, and his eyes found their way to anywhere but hers.

“Preach it,” Astrid muttered, too mortified to say anything else.


	16. Hers

Astrid relaxed into her furs, sighing with pleasure. It felt so good to be home! She glanced over at Stormfly, who had been beyond excited to see her. The dragon was guarding the door, not wanting anything to take her rider away again.

She breathed in the familiar, welcoming smell of her furs. Her thoughts traveled back to that horrible inn that she Hiccup, and Stoick had stayed at. The food was just barely edible. It was smoky and musty and cold and the furs smell like the inside of a Viking’s boot. She couldn’t complain, though. At least she’d gotten to sleep on the bed.

Stoick had made Hiccup sleep on the floor. They had asked for separate sleeping quarters, but the was only one vacant room, so they had to share. Astrid had offered to let Hiccup sleep in the bed, as his head was pounding and he was feeling awful due to that herb that quack of a healer gave him. Hiccup refused, but now she wished that she had insisted.

She had woken the next morning to a retching sound in the corner, and found that Hiccup had just barely made it to the water bucket. Stoick just about murdered the healer for giving his son the wrong herb, but everyone knew that head injuries could bring vomiting as well. Astrid hoped for Hiccup’s sake that it was merely the wrong herb.

The girl could hear Ruffnut and Tuffnut bickering somewhere outside her hut. She could, and probably should, get up, but her bed was _so_ comfortable. Stormfly squawked in boredom. Reluctantly, Astrid lifted the covers and climbed out of bed, stretching before standing. Her dragon ran over, excited to see her up.

“Hey girl,” Astrid giggled at Stormfly’s excessive affection. “I missed you.” Stormfly rubbed the front of her horn into Astrid’s chest, the way she always did when she wanted to be scratched.

Astrid stood and threw the furs back on her bed and glanced into the mirror just to see what her hair looked like. It was a tad frizzy in the back, but honestly, who was going to care? She and Stormfly left her hut and flew up to the clubhouse for breakfast.

Hiccup was already there sitting at the table and staring absently mindedly into a bowl of oatmeal.

“Hey,” she greeted, dishing up some food for herself. “How’d you sleep?”

Hiccup tore his gaze away from the content of his bowl. “Okay,” he replied, sounding a little dazed. “My head is killing me right now.”

Astrid threw him a sympathetic smile as she sat down. “I hope you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I think so. I just hope I don’t throw up again. That made it worse.”

Astrid stole a glance at the wound above his eye, which had luckily not needed stitches. That healer would have probably stitched his eye shut by accident. Hiccup pushed his bowl away and buried his head in his hands. He groaned quietly and his head lolled to one side.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” The girl asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe not.” He replied haltingly, his words slightly slurred as if his mouth was dry. He whimpered weakly, running his hands through his hair. The sound made Astrid’s stomach flip out of compassion.

“Where’s your dad?” Astrid questioned worriedly, moving in front of him to look him in the eyes.

“He…already left,” Hiccup muttered, fingering his head gingerly.

“Maybe we should get you back to your hut,” Astrid offered, unsure of what to do. Was it safe to have him walk back to his hut? Toothless warbled and nudged his rider anxiously.

“ ’M okay, bud.” Hiccup gave the dragon a weak smile, but it quickly faded and was replaced by a grimace.

“Yeah, sure,” Astrid joked, trying to be lighthearted. “You need to get back to your hut and rest.”

Hiccup gave a small nod and used Toothless’ head as a support to stand. He lost his balance and pitched forward. Astrid caught him before he hit the floor. She placed a hand around his waist and guided his right arm around her neck. Hiccup leaned heavily on Toothless, and probably would have collapsed had the dragon not been there.

Stormfly followed along behind them, squawking fretfully. It was slow going, but to Astrid it felt like hardly any time at all. Hiccup looked worse and worse with every step. He seemed barely conscious, and completely disoriented.

They finally reached his hut, and Astrid was quick to sit him down. Toothless sat next to his rider, nudging his cheek and waiting for Hiccup to respond. Hiccup tried to give his dragon some attention, but his shaky hand would not obey. Another unbidden moan escaped his lips.

Astrid hurried over with a wet rag and draped it across the back of his neck. He shivered as the cold cloth touched him. “That should help a little,” Astrid soothed, rubbing his arm, noticing how shaky her own hands were. Hiccup did not respond at all. He fell sideways onto his bed, his breathing rapid and shallow.

He moaned and tried to massage his forehead. Astrid leaned over and rearranged the wet cloth on his neck. What was wrong? Was this the aftermath of that blow to the head? The scene of Ryker slamming Hiccup’s forehead into the deck of his ship flashed before her eyes. _This is all your fault,_ her mind taunted. _He’s in pain because of you._ She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but the mass refused to leave.

Astrid glanced around the room, trying to think of a way to alleviate his suffering. Nothing sparked an idea. She watched as Hiccup rolled over, cringing as pain spiked through his head.

“Hiccup, I’m going to see if Fishlegs has any herbs for pain.” Astrid hoped he would at least acknowledge her, just so she knew he understood.

“Don’t…don’t…” Hiccup began, trailing off after the first word.

“Don’t what?” Astrid pressed, kneeling down beside the bed to face him. He opened his eyes just enough to lock them with hers.

“Don’t…leave. Please.” Her heart clenched in her chest at his plea. Pain shone in his eyes, but he seemed to really need her and not herbs. She reached out and began carding through his hair with her fingers.

“I’ll stay,” she whispered. “Where does it hurt the most?”

“Everywhere,” he replied softly, closing his eyes and letting out a small groan. “It hurts…so bad.” His breaths began to shudder, as if he were crying without tears.

“Please let me get you something to help,” she begged. “I’ll only be gone for a minute.”

Hiccup choked out a soft “no” and placed a hand on his forehead once again. The pain seemed to be escalating. He whimpered again, rolling onto his back. He bit his lip to keep back more sound.

Astrid stood, and said firmly, “I’m getting you some herbs. You need it.”

Hiccup finally nodded his consent, and Astrid left the hut and ran all the way to Fishlegs’ hut. She breathlessly pounded on the door, begging him to let her in. There was no reply. She kicked the door open, praying that Fishlegs was decent. The room was empty, and there was no sign of Fishlegs whatsoever.

She frantically pushed through his cabinets and closets, searching for an herb to use. She finally pulled out a drawer of jars and desperately began to pull them out and scanning over the labels. _Rosemary, Thyme, Cinnamon; does he have nothing for pain?_ She whipped out three more jars, sighing as none of them could suit her needs. There were only four jars left.

She lifted up the second to last one and smiled. _Feverfew._ Astrid opened the jar and glanced inside, glad to find that it was full of the white petals. She bolted back out of Fishlegs’ hut, the thought of putting the herbs back in place never once crossing her mind.

As she ran back into Hiccup’s hut, Toothless greeted her at the door, cooing and leading her quickly to Hiccup’s bed. The young man’s eyes were closed and he tossed restlessly, a thin line of sweat beading underneath his bangs.

“Hiccup, I brought you some Feverfew,” she started, still trying to catch her breath as she dumped a few of the dried petals into her palm. Hiccup pried his eyes open and gazed at the contents of her hand. He took them from her shakily, and placed a few in his mouth. His face contorted at the taste.

“I know they’re bitter,” Astrid acknowledged, rubbing his arm again. “But they will help.”

Hiccup started to cough, and the spasm sent him into an upright position. Astrid used her body as a shock absorber, bracing Hiccup against the harsh paroxysm. The coughing finally subsided. “Dizzy…” Hiccup muttered as he leaned back on his bed.

Astrid could only conclude that being dizzy after a head injury was not a good thing. She watched Hiccup’s chest heave up and down painfully, racking her mind for anything that she could do. What was wrong, anyway? She understood the dizziness and headache, but coughing? Where had that come from?

Hiccup coughed weakly again, sitting up just a little. His eyes riveted on her with a look of pain, then suddenly rolled so far back that the whites showed. Hiccup went limp.

“Hiccup?” she asked, her voiced strained. She shook him as there was no response. “Hiccup!” Still nothing. “Wake up!” she screamed shaking his shoulders. Fear gripped her and balled itself into a lump in her throat. “Hiccup!”

Hiccup finally did move. He laughed. So hard he was nearly double. “I got you _soo_ good!”

Astrid was furious. How dare he scare her like that?! “You- you horrible, cruel, un-thoughtful son of Loki!! Why would you do that?!” Astrid pushed him into his headboard.

“Payback,” Hiccup gasped, holding his stomach. “You scared me.”

Astrid scowled at him and stormed out of his hut. “See if I ever help you again!” she shouted over her shoulder at the still laughing Hiccup.

. . .

Astrid angrily swished her broom across the wooden planks of the stables, still furious at Hiccup for scaring her half to death. She cursed at him under her breath, seriously thinking about booby trapping his stall. The only thing that stopped her was the thought that it might hurt Toothless instead.

Stormfly squawked suddenly, warning her rider of someone else’s presence. Astrid turned and faced Hiccup. She groaned and turned back around, roughly sweeping the dust into a pile. She had hoped that Hiccup would take a hint and leave, but he instead picked up a broom and began to help her.

“Look,” Hiccup started, “I’m sorry. That was really mean. I’m really sorry.”

Astrid ignored him and faced the other way.

“I mean, at least you had a good reason for tricking me, but I just played a really cruel prank. But on the upside, you did make me eat Feverfew.”

Astrid knew how unbearably bitter Feverfew was, and the idea of making Hiccup eat it for no good reason did brighten the situation.

“You’ll be happy to know that it took six canteens of water and a piece of stale bread to revive my taste buds. Do you think with that knowledge you could forgive me?”

Astrid was happy. At least Hiccup hadn’t gotten away with going unpunished. Well…somewhat unpunished. She turned around and punched Hiccup solidly in the shoulder. “That’s for scaring me,” she quipped sassily, brushing off her hands before offering him her right one. “Friends?”

Hiccup stiffened and his gaze dropped. “Actually…I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay…” Astrid wondered why he couldn’t shake hands with her, and her concern only grew when he glanced up sadly.

“I…I don’t know how to say this,” he went on, wringing his hands. “So I’ll say it bluntly. I’m not really sure if we can be friends anymore.”

Astrid’s eyes widened and she drew back a little. “What?” she asked quietly. “Why?”

“Well, stuff like this happens. One of us tries to play a funny prank and the other takes it way too seriously.”

Astrid was horrified. “Hiccup, I over-reacted. It’s my fault. Please don’t-”

“This isn’t the only time I’m talking about,” Hiccup cut her short.

“I don’t want to end our friendship!” Astrid cried desperately. “Please, Hiccup, you’re my best friend. I trust you with my life. Don’t just-”

“Astrid.”

“-walk away like there’s-”

“Astrid.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to know the truth?”

“Of course!”

Hiccup moved closer to her and took her broom from her hands. “The truth is,” he began, moving so close she was sure he would hear her frantic heart. “I want to be more than friends.”

“What?” Astrid looked up at him, wonder filling her tone.

Hiccup took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes. “I want to be more than what we are now. I love you, and I want to be able to call you mine. If you’re willing, and you trust me, would you do me that honor?”

Astrid secretly pinched her leg just to make sure she was really awake. Her head was spinning a million miles an hour. Was this actually happening to her? Was Hiccup truly asking her? She drew in a shaky breath.

“If you don’t, I understand.” Hiccup looked worried and disappointed.

_Say something!_ Astrid realized she had been standing there for much longer than she should have. “What took you so long?!” she finally gushed out, throwing her arms around his neck. “Of course I do! I love you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really! I’ve been waiting for years! Granted, I didn’t really know that I was waiting, but I was.”

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her, chuckling quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”

Astrid lowered herself back on the floor, smiling up at Hiccup. She felt like she was on a cloud. Her hands were still around his neck, and his were finding their way to the same position. Hiccup was even closer to her now and he continued to lessen the space. His lips were so close. Would he really kiss her? She didn’t dare hope, but at this point…

She leaned toward him, eager to close the remaining two inches.

And then everything was destroyed.

“Hiccup!” Ruffnut and Tuffnut came storming into the stable, clearly aggravated. “Tuff stole my knife and he won’t give it back!” Ruffnut planted a hand on her hip, never once realizing what she had interrupted.

“I did not!” Tuffnut retorted. “It’s my knife, but Ruffnut didn’t remember that she gave it to me! Isn’t that right Chicken?” He stopped to rub noses with his pet.

“Um…right…” Hiccup stuttered, backing nervously away from Astrid. “Why don’t the two of you go wait for me at the club house. I’m…busy.”

“Fine,” the twins grumbled, turning and slouching out of the shelter.

Astrid grumbled after them, crossing her arms. “Well that was just great,” she mumbled angrily.

“Eh, they’re just being Ruff and Tuff.”

“But they ruined it!”

Hiccup drew close to her again, lifting her chin with his finger. “No they didn’t.” He closed the space between them, placing his lips on hers.

Astrid melted into him, kissing back fervently. She could not believe it. Hiccup had kissed _her_. It was always the other way around. But now, he had kissed _her._ Hiccup loved _her._ It was amazing.

She was never letting go. She was going to stay here forever. She would hold onto this moment for the rest of her life, because it was perfect.

And Hiccup…he was so perfect too. He was partly steel. He was a dork. He was the dragon master. He was brave and sweet and utterly wonderful, and she could _finally_ call him “hers.”

 

**_THE END_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Partly Steel! I dearly hope that it lived up to everyone's expectations. 
> 
> This book was a joy to write, but now that it's finished, I have nothing to do! So, if anyone has any ideas for one-shots, shorts, or feature length stories, please let me know.
> 
> For anyone who has read my other stories, I have picked back up on "Prank Day." It is the second story in the "Life With Lunatics" series. Keep an eye out for it!
> 
> Thank you for all the views, comments, and Kudos! Your support is greatly appreciated.
> 
> ~Spinofflady


	17. Author's Note

Hello Readers!

Bravo to any of you who actually bothered to read this!

This is a little thank you to all the people who left Kudos, comment or just read the story. I'm sure that I speak for all authors when I say that their work being appreciated is the most wonderful gift. The encouragement that I received while writing this was more than enough to keep me writing, so you can expect another RTTE themed story soon.

Thanks again,

~Spinofflady


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